Peshawar High Court has barred newly elected members on reserved seats in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly from taking oath.
A two-member bench, headed by Justice Syed Arshad Ali, heard the petition challenging the proportional distribution of reserved seats. The court has sought a detailed response from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and ordered that the oath-taking of members on reserved seats be suspended until the next hearing on July 3.
The petitioner’s counsel argued that the ECP did not allocate the reserved seats in accordance with proportional representation. During the proceedings, Justice Arshad Ali questioned whether the party had submitted a list for the reserved seats, to which the lawyer responded that PTIP holds two general seats and is entitled to one reserved seat for women.
Justice Arshad Ali noted that the PTI government is in power but did not secure these seats in this region. The petitioner’s lawyer clarified that PTI did not formally contest the election; rather, independent candidates were fielded.
The lawyer further contended that PTIP is entitled to three women’s reserved seats and one minority seat.
The court issued a stay order, restraining the oath-taking process, and adjourned the hearing until July 3.
