ECP asked to allocate reserved seats under Election Act 2024

ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has written a letter to the Election Commission of Pakistan, asking it to allocate the reserved seats of the house under the Election Act 2024.

In the letter, the speaker said that in order to maintain the independence of Parliament, the election commission should allocate the reserved seats under the Election Act 2024.

Any member who did not submit a certificate showing their affiliation with a political party would be considered as an independent. The independent candidates are not allowed to change party affiliation under the new law, he added.

The speaker said that after the passage of the Election Act 2024, the president signed it into a law in August. Now, the ECP should follow the new law and allocate the reserved seats in the National Assembly accordingly.

The letter added that the Supreme Court of Pakistan had directed the Election Commission to include members of one political party in another political party. The impression from the apex court verdict was that members of a political party had been allowed to join another party.

He was of the view that the judgement of the Supreme Court was announced months after members had already joined a political party. Under the Election Act, the declarations of the Supreme Court and high courts have no effect on the Act, he added.

The speaker claimed that allocation of the reserved seats under the Election Act 2024 would ensure supremacy of the parliament.