ISLAMABAD: Independent candidates backed by former prime minister Imran Khan who won the highest number of parliamentary seats in Feb. 8 national election will join the minority Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) party to have reserved seats allocated to it in Pakistan parliament, Khan’s party said on Monday. 
Members of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party could not contest the election on their party’s iconic symbol of a cricket bat that was taken away by authorities over the PTI’s flawed intra-party elections.
Consequently, Khan-backed candidates contested the polls as independents and stunned observers by winning more than 90 seats in the National Assembly, lower house of parliament, according to official results.
However, Khan’s party was faced with the prospect of losing reserved seats for women and minorities as the candidates it backed contested polls as independents and reserved seats are only allotted to political parties based on their representation in the assembly.
“We are officially announcing that our independent candidates will join the SIC in the National Assembly and provincial assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) in order to claim our share of reserved seats,” Gohar Khan, the PTI’s interim chairman, told reporters in Islamabad.
While the vote failed to present a clear winner, independent candidates, most loyal to Khan, secured the highest 101 parliamentary seats, according to official results. They were followed by three-time former PM Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party that bagged 75 seats and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari-led Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) which won 54 seats.
Gohar said his party would formally apply for its share of reserved seats after independent candidates backed by it join the SIC.
“We have an agreement signed with our partner SIC and this merger is done to win our reserved seats,” he said. “We will apply to the Election Commission and demand that our share of reserved seats should be given to us.” 
The PTI interim chairman noted that his party-backed elected members had fulfilled the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) requirement to join a political party within three days of their notification. 
“Affidavits from all candidates have been collected and will be submitted to the ECP today [Monday],” he added.
Gohar reiterated the PTI would form a government in the center as well as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces. “We will also work for the release of our leadership and workers which is our next target,” he added.
Sahibzada Hamid Raza, the SIC chief, said his party had entered into an “unconditional alliance” with the PTI, wherein all decisions will be made by Khan’s party.
“We have been their ally for the last 8 years and supported each other as we did now by providing our platform so that the PTI can get their share in reserved seats,” he said, adding that a formal agreement was signed between the two parties after formal consultations.
The recent election in Pakistan was marred by a mobile service shutdown and delayed results, sparking accusations of rigging and drawing concern from rights groups and foreign governments. Political parties, including Khan’s PTI, have protested the results and challenged them in court.