The Supreme Court of Pakistan held a crucial consultative meeting today to decide the fate of the Sunni Ittehad Council’s (SIC) reserved seats in Parliament. The meeting, presided over by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, lasted for an hour and a half before the court reserved its judgment. The decision is could be announced tomorrow.

The full court bench, comprising 13 judges, deliberated on the case related to the SIC’s claim for reserved seats. The judges participating in the meeting included Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Ayesha Malik, Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Shahid Waheed, Justice Irfan Saadat Khan, and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan.

Sources suggest that the judges discussed the legal arguments and precedents related to the SIC’s claim for reserved seats during the meeting.

The Supreme Court had reserved its judgment on the case yesterday after hearing arguments from both sides. Chief Justice Isa had stated that the court would announce its decision after internal consultations.

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The case stems from a decision made by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in March. The ECP, in a 4-1 majority vote, ruled that the SIC was not entitled to reserved seats in Parliament because it had failed to submit a list of candidates for these seats before the general elections.

The ECP further decided to allocate these seats to other parties represented in Parliament.

The SIC, however, challenged the ECP’s decision in the Supreme Court, arguing that it had fulfilled all the necessary requirements for securing reserved seats.

The court’s decision tomorrow will determine whether the SIC will be granted these seats or whether the ECP’s decision will stand.