FCC dismisses JUI-F appeal over reserved seat in K-P Assembly
The Federal Constitutional Court has dismissed an appeal by JUI-F in a dispute over a reserved seat for women in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly. The court upheld the Election Commission of Pakistan's decision.
- The Federal Constitutional Court dismissed JUI-F's appeal over a reserved seat.
- It upheld the Election Commission of Pakistan's decision.
- The case concerned K-P Assembly member Sadaf, elected on a reserved seat for women.
The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) on Thursday dismissed an appeal by the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F) in a dispute over a reserved seat. The court upheld the decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
A two-member bench headed by Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan and including Justice Aamer Farooq heard the case, The Express Tribune reported.
The party had challenged the election of Sadaf, a member of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly elected on the reserved seats for women. Sadaf had earlier been a provincial assembly member of JUI.
JUI said Sadaf's name was not on the priority list it had submitted to the ECP. It said the name on that list was Sadaf Yasmeen, who had not shown interest in the seat. The party alleged that Sadaf obtained the seat with the complicity of some party members.
According to the reports, when the ECP began an inquiry, Sadaf approached the Peshawar High Court (PHC). The PHC approved her writ and ordered her notification as an assembly member.
JUI-F then petitioned the Supreme Court against the PHC decision, seeking suspension of her assembly membership notification.
In court, the JUI-F counsel said the party had submitted four names for reserved seats. He argued that the ECP cannot change a party's list for reserved seats, and that if a party submitted an incorrect list, the commission could have asked it to make corrections. He also said the party had stated that Sadaf Ihsan was not its candidate, but it was being told otherwise.
The JUI-F lawyer described the matter as "a unique case in Pakistan's history".
Why it matters for Pakistan
The ruling settles how a disputed reserved seat for women in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly is filled, and confirms the ECP's decision stands. Reserved seats are allotted from party lists, so the outcome matters to parties and to the balance in the legislature.
