Islamabad: Pakistan’s Supreme Court ruled on Friday that jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party is eligible for over 20 extra reserved seats in parliament, intensifying pressure on the country’s fragile coalition government.
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party candidates contested the Feb. 8 election as independents after being barred from the polls. Despite winning the most seats, the election commission initially deemed independents ineligible for the allocation of 70 reserved seats designated for political parties only. These seats were instead allocated to other parties, predominantly within the ruling coalition.
“As a political party, the PTI is entitled to its reserved seats,” stated Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa while delivering the order, supported by eight judges and opposed by five of the 13-member full court bench.
The decision to grant 23 reserved seats does not alter the parliamentary majority of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s coalition government, clarified Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar in remarks to reporters following the ruling. The ruling coalition maintains a strong presence with over 200 members in the 336-member lower house of parliament. Before the decision, Khan’s party held 84 seats, expected to rise to over 100.
According to Pakistan’s election regulations, parties receive 70 reserved seats—60 for women and 10 for non-Muslims—in proportion to their electoral success, completing the National Assembly’s total of 336 seats.
Nonetheless, the ruling bolsters the political standing of Khan’s supporters, who have alleged electoral fraud by the election commission and a pro-military caretaker government overseeing the polls. These claims are denied by the commission and military, though transparency concerns have been raised in Western nations.
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“This is what we have been saying, that we were robbed of our right,” declared PTI chairman Gohar Khan, asserting that the party, which some sought to marginalize, has now been vindicated.
Both the U.S. House of Representatives and European countries have urged Islamabad to investigate these allegations, a request Pakistan has thus far rebuffed.
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Khan was removed from power in 2022 following a falling-out with the country’s influential military leaders, who deny involvement in political matters.
“This judgment denies the ruling coalition the two-thirds majority it sought,” noted Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, president of the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development And Transparency think tank. “”It will boost the morale of PTI workers and they may be in a better position to launch a movement if the party so decides.”
