ISLAMABAD: Two Pakistani top court judges on Saturday questioned the majority verdict in a case involving parliamentary reserved seats, in which former prime minister Imran Khan’s political party was granted relief, saying the judgment had ignored “all rules of procedure.”
Justices Amin Uddin Khan and Naeem Akhtar Afghan, who were part of the Supreme Court bench that adjudicated the matter, diverged from the majority verdict in a short order before issuing a 29-page note detailing the legal reasons for their differing view.
The reserved seats case came up for hearing because Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party candidates had to contest the February 8 national polls as independents after being deprived of its symbol in a legal battle for not holding proper intraparty polls.
The PTI-backed candidates won the most seats, though the election commission ruled they were not entitled to reserved parliamentary seats for women and minorities, as these were meant only for political parties.
However, the apex court issued a different verdict on July 12, providing relief to Khan’s party.
“The majority judgment ignores all rules of procedure, substantive provisions of law and the Constitution,” the two judges wrote in their dissenting note.
The petitions for the seats were filed by the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), which the PTI-backed candidates had joined after winning the general seats since their party’s political identity was not recognized.
“Relief cannot be granted to the PTI as PTI was not before the Court nor tried to become a party before the ECP, High Court and before this Court nor was claiming the reserved seats, which were in issue in the instant litigation,” the dissenting note added.
The reserved seats for women and minorities in Pakistan’s national and provincial assemblies are to ensure greater political inclusion.
They are allocated to various political factions on a proportional basis after considering the number of general seats won by them during elections.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) refused to allocate these seats to PTI and SIC on technical grounds, instead distributing them among other parties mostly belonging to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s ruling coalition.
The government expressed its reservations over the Supreme Court’s majority verdict.
It has also been working on a parliamentary legislation to prevent its implementation in PTI’s favor.
Pakistan’s top court judges question relief to Imran Khan’s party in reserved seats verdict
https://arab.news/9nqfn
Pakistan’s top court judges question relief to Imran Khan’s party in reserved seats verdict
- Justices Amin Uddin Khan and Naeem Akhtar Afghan were part of the bench but diverged from majority verdict
- They point out Khan’s PTI party was not claiming the reserved seats in a detailed, 29-page dissenting note
Pakistan Super League 11th edition to kick off on March 26
- The PSL is Pakistan’s premier T20 cricket league which features a mix of local and international players
- Hyderabad, Sialkot will join the 11th edition of PSL after they were bought for record prices this month
ISLAMABAD: The 11th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) T20 tournament will kick off on March 26, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Friday, which will feature eight franchises competing across multiple venues.
The statement came after a meeting of the PSL governing council at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore, which was presided over by PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi.
The meeting began with the PCB chairman and all participants congratulating and welcoming the new team owners of Sialkot and Hyderabad, according to the PCB.
“Detailed discussions were held on various matters including the schedule of the HBL PSL 11, player retentions, adoption of the player auction or a unique combination of auction and draft termed as ‘drauction’ and the option of opening direct signings,” the board said.
“It was decided that the HBL PSL 11 will kick off on Thursday, 26 March as the fans, players and stakeholders look forward to entering the new era of the league.”
The PSL is Pakistan’s premier T20 cricket league which features a mix of local and international players. The league already had six city-based teams which include Karachi Kings, Multan Sultans, Lahore Qalandars, Islamabad United, Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators.
Hyderabad and Sialkot will join the 11th edition of PSL after they were bought for record prices at an auction organized by the PCB this month.
The board will run the Multan Sultans team for the 11th edition before looking for a potential buyer. The previous owner of Multan Sultans, Ali Tareen, announced last month he was walking away from his ownership of the franchise.
