The Peshawar High Court on Thursday dismissed petitions from the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) for reserved seats in the national and provincial assemblies.

Nearly all of the PTI-backed MPs who had won the February 8 election as independent candidates joined the SIC so that they could claim a share of the reserved seats. SIC believed it deserved at least 77 seats, including 23 in the National Assembly, based on the number of general seats the party’s MPs had secured in the election.

The party filed petitions before the Peshawar High Court, which in the past ruled in favour of PTI.

However, on Thursday the PHC dismissed the petition unanimously.

A five-member larger bench headed by Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim heard the case.

The court said reserved seats could only be allotted to a political party that wins at least one seat in the general election. The SIC, the court said, did had not won a single general sea in Febraury 8 election.

The court had stayed the oath of the MPs on the reserved seats in question, but some of the MPs were sworn in.

MNAs elected on reserved seats sworn in despite court’s stay order

The SIC has the option to challenge the ruling before the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Hafiz Ahsaan Ahmed, a leading law expert told Aaj News. The matter will now land before a larger bench of the Supreme Cour of Pakistan, he said.

More to follow…