The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday adjourned till tomorrow (Wednesday) hearing on pleas relating to inclusion of PTI-backed independents 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. The ECP clubbed all applications against the SIC. Azam Nazir Tarar, Atta Tarar and others appeared on behalf of the PML-N petitioner, Barrister Gohar, Ali Zafar and Babar Awan appeared on behalf of PTI while Farooq H Naik and Farogh Naseem appeared on behalf of the MQM. During the hearing, Barrister Gohar took the stance that they submitted declarations of 86 people but the Election Commission included 81 in the SIC.

Barrister Ali Zafar said that they wanted to get their reserved seats, if other political parties were also interested to get the seats, they should say it openly. The MQM, PML-N and PPP should submit claims for the reserved seats to ECP. Earlier on Monday, the ECP had decided to hear the matter of allocation of reserved seats to the SIC in the open court. According to sources, an important meeting of the Commission was held on the issue of reserved seats of the SIC. A notice was issued to the head of the SIC. The ECP's full bench had to hear the issue of such seats on Tuesday. The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has once again demanded resignation of CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja who, it alleged, failed to conduct free and fair polls.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)