PESHAWAR – Member National Assembly Ali Asghar has filed a detailed petition in the Peshawar High Court, challenging the allocation of reserved seats to political parties other than the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
The Ali Asghar petition on reserved seats calls for the annulment of court rulings from 13 and 14 March 2024 and urges the court to give Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed independents the right to be heard.
Filed through Advocate Alam Khan Udenzai, the petition argues that PTI was not made a party in the case, nor was it issued any legal notice. Asghar stated that the court decisions were passed without representation or arguments from PTI, violating fundamental legal rights.
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Asghar noted that the Supreme Court’s 27 June 2025 verdict also affected him. He contended that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) misled the court by falsely claiming PTI did not submit a list for reserved seats. According to him, PTI had submitted a signed list, and the ECP had completed scrutiny. However, it failed to disclose this to the courts.
The petition quotes paragraph 20 of the Peshawar High Court’s earlier decision, which acknowledged that PTI-backed independents formed the largest group in the National Assembly. Yet, despite this recognition, the reserved seats were distributed among other parties including the PML-N, PPP, JUI-F, ANP, and others.
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Ali Asghar stated he had written “PTI” on his nomination papers and contested the 2024 elections on a PTI ticket. Since then, he has not joined any other party. He requested the court to officially notify him as a PTI member of the National Assembly and restore the party’s right to its reserved seats.
He also claimed that depriving PTI of these seats amounts to voter disenfranchisement, since the party remains the most popular in the country.
The petition names several respondents, including the ECP, the Sunni Ittehad Council, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Pakistan Peoples Party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl, Jamaat-e-Islami, Awami National Party, and other political groups.
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Ali Asghar urged the court to schedule the matter for immediate hearing, citing political injustice and constitutional misrepresentation.
The Ali Asghar petition on reserved seats has added fresh momentum to PTI’s legal campaign, as party-backed lawmakers seek to reclaim constitutional space in a highly contested parliamentary environment.
