The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) reserved on Wednesday its verdict on petitions pertaining to the allotment of reserve seats to the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).

The electoral watchdog was conducting a hearing on applications regarding the allotment of reserved seats to the SSIC – the party where most PTI-aligned independent lawmakers have taken refuge after the PTI lost its electoral symbol in the run-up to the February 8 elections.

Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja also shared a letter by the SIC with PTI counsel Ali Zafar stating that the party did not contest the general elections, and hence, does not want the reserve seats. 

Zafar said the party did not inform PTI about any such letter and expressed ignorance of the matter. “If the SIC does not want the reserve seats, why are you forcing them,” asked the CEC.

During the hearing earlier today, CEC Raja said that the PTI lawyer had himself stated in the apex court that the party would not get reserved seats if it lost its electoral symbol.

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, lawyer Ali Zafar, and SIC Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza appeared before the electoral watchdog.

Zafar objected and said the ECP decided on Tuesday to notices to all parliamentary parties, to which the CEC replied that the watchdog had “not called all the parties, but only those who are entitled to special seats”.

“All parties are not mentioned in the case. Four petitions of the SIC are before the ECP and the commission has kept our pleas pending, so other parties can submit their petitions and only then were our pleas fixed for hearing,” said Zafar.

He added that after the PTI’s electoral symbol was withdrawn, the ECP had assured the party that it could still get reserve seats if the candidates joined another party.

Read: SIC’s reserved seat claim challenged

The PTI lawyer further argued that the ECP’s counsel assured during the hearing at the apex court that the allotment of reserved seats would not be affected if the party lost its symbol. “But now our fears and predictions have been proved right.”

Member Ikramullah asked Zafar, “Did the party you are referring to, participate in the elections?” Zafar replied that if the PTI is not a party, why does its symbol still exist on the ECP’s list.

Member Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa asked Zafar if they wanted the ECP to “cancel the registration of the party as well”.

“Of course, it can be cancelled, but the process will have to be followed, SIC is a political party that has a symbol allotted by the ECP,” retorted Zafar.