PTI Emerges as Largest Party in Pakistan’s National Assembly

PTI Emerges as Largest Party in Pakistan's National Assembly

Dil Bar Irshad | July 13, 2024 | 05:13 PM IST | Breaking News, Pakistan News, Politics, World | Follow on Google News

PTI Emerges as Largest Party in Pakistan’s National Assembly

PTI Emerges as Largest Party in Pakistan’s National Assembly

Key Highlights:

1. PTI declared eligible for reserved seats by Pakistan’s Supreme Court.
2. Ruling coalition loses two-thirds majority in National Assembly.
3. PTI emerged as the single largest party with 93 seats.

The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) is set to become the single largest party in the National Assembly after a landmark judgment by the Supreme Court of Pakistan. The court declared PTI eligible for reserved seats in both national and provincial assemblies, as reported by The Dawn. This decision significantly weakens the ruling coalition, which will lose its two-thirds majority.

The Supreme Court’s ruling was delivered by a 13-member bench with an 8-5 majority, overturning a previous decision by the Peshawar High Court (PHC) and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). The case was initially filed by the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), a political party that had PTI-backed candidates join after the February 8 general election, which they were forced to contest as independents due to alleged electoral law violations against PTI.

As independents, PTI candidates secured 93 seats in the National Assembly, surpassing other parties. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) came second with 75 seats, and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) followed with 54 seats. Despite Khan’s refusal to form alliances with rival parties, the PML-N and PPP created a coalition government with smaller parties. PTI-backed independents later aligned with SIC, leading to the Supreme Court ruling in their favor.

PTI members praised the Supreme Court’s decision, with their official X account demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Sikander Sultan Raja for violating the Constitution. Former KP finance minister Taimur Khan Jhagra congratulated Imran Khan and PTI supporters, asserting that the party is “on the right side of history.”

The reserved seats issue arose after over 80 PTI-backed independents won in the February elections. Although the SIC sought the allocation of these seats, the ECP initially denied it, citing PTI’s failure to submit a candidate list. This Supreme Court ruling now nullifies the ECP’s decision, reinforcing PTI’s position in Pakistan’s political landscape.

Dil Bar Irshad

Dil Bar Irshad is a seasoned journalist, hails from Jammu Kashmir's Doda, covers political, social, business stories, index stories.