PESHAWAR – The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has stopped the oath-taking process on reserved seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) assembly, following a legal petition filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Parliamentarians (PTI-P) challenging how the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) allocated those seats.
A two-member bench, comprising Justice Syed Arshad Ali and Justice Dr Khurshid Iqbal, issued a stay order that bars newly selected members on women and minority quotas from being sworn in until further notice. The court has also issued a notice to the ECP, seeking a formal response before the next hearing.
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The petition, brought forward by PTI-P, claims that the method used to allocate reserved seats in the KP assembly was flawed and unfairly denied them their rightful share. According to the party’s counsel, Sultan Muhammad Khan, PTI-P won two general seats and should have received at least two women’s reserved seats and one minority seat.
The court questioned whether the party had submitted a priority list for reserved seats. The counsel confirmed it had. The bench also referenced the political context, noting that independent candidates affiliated with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf formed the provincial government after the general election, while PTI-P was sidelined in the allocation of reserved seats in the KP assembly.
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The case will continue after the ECP presents its detailed reply. Until then, the court has blocked the oath-taking process, raising broader concerns over transparency and fairness in the management of reserved seats in the KP assembly.
