The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has restored 74 reserved seats across the National Assembly and provincial legislatures, following the Supreme Court’s June 27, 2025 ruling that nullified an earlier judgment regarding the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) eligibility for these seats.
According to the official notification issued on Wednesday, the reinstated seats include:
- 19 in the National Assembly
- 25 in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly
- 27 in the Punjab Assembly
- 3 in the Sindh Assembly
The ECP’s decision revokes its previous de-notifications dated July 24 and July 29, 2024, effectively reversing the disqualification of candidates who had been elected on PTI tickets.
This move aligns with the Supreme Court’s recent majority verdict, which accepted review petitions filed by members of the ruling coalition and overturned a 2024 judgment that had permitted PTI to claim reserved seats through its post-election alliance with the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).
Supreme Court Overturns Reserved Seat Allocation to PTI
The Supreme Court’s decision came from a 10-member constitutional bench, which, by a 7-3 majority, set aside the July 12, 2024 verdict that had earlier recognised PTI as a parliamentary party and directed the ECP to allocate it reserved seats. The new ruling strips PTI and its SIC allies of their claim to nearly 80 reserved seats in national and provincial legislatures, enabling the ruling coalition to secure a two-thirds majority in parliament.
Justice Salahuddin Panhwar recused himself from the case. Justices Ayesha Malik and Aqeel Abbasi opposed the review petitions from the outset. Justice Jamal Mandokhail issued a split opinion—supporting SIC’s entitlement to 39 reserved seats while overturning the allocation of 41 others. Two other judges recommended that the ECP re-examine the political affiliation of the 80 candidates in question.
The detailed judgment and guidelines on how the seats will be reallocated are expected to follow in due course.
Background and Implications
PTI lost its electoral symbol ahead of the February 2024 general elections due to a dispute over internal party elections. As a result, most of its candidates ran as independents and later aligned with the SIC in an effort to claim reserved seats—an arrangement that the ECP rejected and the Supreme Court has now upheld.
The verdict not only blocks PTI’s return to parliament via the reserved seat mechanism but also raises questions about the party’s legislative strength, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where it forms the government.
PTI and SIC leadership have signaled their intent to challenge the ruling through all available legal and political avenues.
