ECP adjourns hearing on SIC plea to allocate reserved seats

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday adjourned the hearing of all the petitions filed by the Sunni Itthad Council (SIC) regarding the allocation of reserved seats till tomorrow (Wednesday).

The electoral watchdog had Monday decided to hold an open hearing on the SIC application relating to the inclusion of PTI-backed lawmakers in the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) and allotment of reserved seats.

A five-member commission headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja heard six petitions against the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) in the Election Commission.

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The PML-N petitioner was represented by Azam Nazir Tarar, Atta Tarar, and others. Barrister Gohar, Ali Zafar, and Babar Awan represented the PTI. Farooq H Naik and Farogh Naseem represented the MQM.

Barrister Gohar stated during the hearing that although they submitted the declarations of 86 individuals, the Election Commission included 81 in the SIC.

Barrister Ali Zafar stated that they desired their reserved seats and that other political parties should express their interest in the seats explicitly if they were interested. ECP should receive claims for the reserved seats from the MQM, PML-N, and PPP.

The ECP had previously determined that the allocation of reserved seats to the SIC would be heard in the open court on Monday.

The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has once more called for CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja’s resignation because he allegedly neglected to oversee free and fair elections.