ISLAMABAD, Jun 19 (Alliance News): The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday adjourned till Friday the hearing of review petitions challenging its earlier verdict on the allocation of reserved seats.
The case is being heard by an 11-member Constitutional Bench headed by Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan.
Advocate Salman Akram Raja, appearing for petitioner Kanwal Shauzab, attempted to address key points raised in the majority and minority opinions from the original ruling.
However, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail noted that such arguments were not presented during the main hearing and that the court had reached its conclusions by extracting facts on its own.
Justice Amin asked if Raja believed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had treated his clients unfairly. Raja claimed the issue went beyond the petitioners and affected the public at large.
The bench, however, advised Raja to refrain from dragging the ECP into the matter unnecessarily.
Raja pointed out that the Punjab Election Commissioner had rejected nomination papers filed under the PTI banner, resulting in 41 candidates being listed as independents. Justice Mandokhail clarified that returning officers, not the ECP, decide nomination matters.
During the hearing, Justice Mandokhail criticized a previous claim made by Raja regarding children being arrested with candies, calling it unsubstantiated and misleading. Raja apologized.
Justice Mandokhail also reminded Raja that during the original proceedings, he had appeared late and argued solely in favor of granting reserved seats to the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), without adequately presenting PTI’s position. He said the current arguments were not presented when the court had actively sought clarity before the elections.
Citing the Pir Sabir Shah case, Raja argued that the Supreme Court can hear direct appeals against ECP decisions and has broad authority to ensure complete justice. However, Justice Amin emphasized judicial restraint, noting that while the matter affects democratic rights, many of the points now raised were absent from the earlier hearings.
Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar asked if the Constitution mandates that reserved seats cannot remain vacant. Raja responded that the court had already ruled against leaving them unfilled. Justice Mandokhail pressed him to specify which fundamental rights were violated, while Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan asked whether the court should fill political vacuums on its own.
Justice Afghan advised Raja to focus on future elections, and Justice Amin reiterated that while the court can revoke unconstitutional decisions, Raja himself did not consider the majority ruling to be unconstitutional.
The court adjourned the hearing till 9:30 AM on Friday, June 20.
