Justice Athar Minallah has asked the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to satisfy the Supreme Court that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) was excluded from the electoral process legitimately, thereby forfeiting its claim to reserved seats.
As a member of the full-court bench of the Supreme Court hearing the Sunni Ittehad Council’s (SIC) appeal against the denial of reserved seats for women and minorities, Justice Minallah directed the ECP to satisfy the court that a level playing field was provided to all political parties, including PTI, before, during, and after the February 8 general elections.
The SC will resume hearing the appeal on Monday.
In a four-page note, Justice Minallah observed that petitions pending before the SC raising questions about the integrity of the Feb 8 polls should be heard alongside the SIC petitions. He directed the ECP to place on record the nature of complaints received prior to, during, and after the general elections and satisfy the apex court that each political party was treated in accordance with the Constitution’s command, providing a level playing field to all.
He said the Supreme Court was the custodian of the rights of people and the right to vote was one of the most important fundamental rights.
