The Sindh High Court has disposed of a petition of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) regarding the non-allocation of reserved seats, and ruled against counting three reserved seats in tomorrow's presidential election. The court also issued a notice to the parties concerned on the SIC's plea. It has asked the election commission, the MQM, PPP and others to respond on March 28. The SIC had lodged an appeal with the high court to secure its share of reserved seats, challenging the Election Commission of Pakistan's decision to allocate these seats to other parties. Recognizing the urgency of the matter, the court had accepted the request for an expedited hearing. The petition maintains that in a bid to bolster their legal standing, independently elected candidates belonging to the PTI had formally joined the Sunni Ittehad Council, amplifying their plea for representation.

The petition specifically advocates for the allocation of one reserved seat for minorities and two reserved seats for women to the SIC. The federation, and the chief election commissioners of Pakistan and Sindh have been named as respondents in the petition, alongside political entities such as the PPP, MQM, and the successful candidates on reserved seats. During the hearing, a division bench of the court summoned the lawyers representing the SIC to discuss the case in chamber. However, Sindh Advocate General Hasan Akbar and other government lawyers attempted to enter the chamber, but were prevented by court staff. Later, the AG was also called in the judge's chamber.  Previously, similar petitions were filed before the Lahore High Court against the election commission's decision to allocate the SIC's reserved seats to other parties.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)