Pakistan - July 2024

On 12 July, the Supreme Court declared that former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), was entitled to its share of reserved seats in the national and provincial assemblies. Pakistan’s National Assembly has 70 reserved seats (60 for women and 10 for minorities) that are distributed among parties based on their performance in the general election. The verdict will likely see more than 20 seats go to PTI-backed candidates in the National Assembly, significantly altering the balance of power and depriving the ruling coalition of a two-thirds majority. Ahead of the February election, PTI candidates had to run as independents after losing their party status and electoral symbol due to a legal case. Following the election, an Election Commission order, upheld by a lower court, barred these candidates from reserved seats. The SC decision has now reversed this, stating that the commission misinterpreted a previous verdict on PTI's electoral symbol.

Sources: Al Jazeera, Dawn, International IDEA