The Supreme Court has criticized the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for misinterpreting its previous verdict regarding the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party’s use of the ‘bat’ election symbol.

Justice Athar Minallah stated that the ECP’s decision to exclude the PTI from the general elections was based on a “flawed interpretation” of the Supreme Court’s judgment. He argued that the court’s verdict did not intend to disqualify the PTI as a major political party from participating in the polls.

The judge noted that the ECP’s actions have led to the “disenfranchisement of voters” and deprived the PTI of its legitimate right to claim reserved seats in the parliament and provincial assemblies.

Justice Minallah emphasized that the Supreme Court cannot ignore the “grave allegations” regarding the integrity of the electoral process and the ECP’s alleged failure to conduct “genuine and credible elections” as mandated by the Constitution.

The remarks came during the hearing of a case filed by the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), which comprises mostly PTI-backed independent candidates, seeking the allocation of reserved seats.

The ECP had earlier denied the SIC’s request for reserved seats, arguing that the party’s constitution is in violation of the Constitution as it restricts membership to only adult Muslims.

However, the Supreme Court judges questioned the ECP’s rationale, with Justice Ayesha Malik regretting that the formula for allocating reserved seats appears to have been left at the discretion of the electoral body.

The Attorney General for Pakistan, Mansoor Usman Awan, argued that the petitioners believe the independent candidates who joined the SIC should be treated as a political party and be allotted reserved seats accordingly.

The Supreme Court has adjourned the case until July 9, as it continues to scrutinize the ECP’s actions and the integrity of the electoral process.

The reserved seats issue holds significance as the PTI-backed independent candidates, who make up the majority of the opposition benches, lost as many as 77 reserved seats in the National Assembly and provincial assemblies due to the Peshawar High Court’s verdict upholding the ECP’s decision.

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