KP govt to move SC against PHC ruling on oath of reserved seats

KP govt to move SC against PHC ruling on oath of reserved seats

Peshawar (Web Desk): The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has decided to challenge the Peshawar High Court’s (PHC) ruling regarding the oath of KP Assembly lawmakers elected on reserved seats.

“We will challenge Peshawar High Court’s verdict in the Supreme Court,” KP Law Minister Aftab Alam said in a statement.

The minister clarified that the oath of members of the provincial assembly (MPAs) elected on reserved seats for minorities and women will not be administered until the top court’s verdict comes in on this matter.

Last week, the PHC rejected the Sunni Ittehad Council’s (SIC) plea challenging the denial of reserved seats.

A five-member larger bench led by Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and including Justices Ijaz Anwar, S M Attique Shah, Shakeel Ahmed and Syed Arshad Ali resumed the hearing on the case.

Earlier, a two-member bench of the PHC comprising Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Justice Shakeel Ahmad issued a stay order preventing members from swearing in and directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to submit its response in the said matter.

PTI-backed lawmakers after winning elections joined the SIC.

The party had written to the ECP seeking allocation of reserved seats in the national as well as three provincial assemblies, excluding Balochistan.