Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has planned to approach the Supreme Court against the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) after it rejected the allocation of reserved seats for the upcoming presidential elections to the PTI-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).
In a statement issued on Monday, the PTI said that it will file an appeal against the 4-1 decision of the ECP, which was issued last week. The decision said that the SIC was ineligible for the reserved seat quota under Article 51(6) of the Elections Act, 2017.
The decision also came at a time when nomination papers were accepted for ruling coalition-backed Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) -backed Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai for the upcoming presidential elections, slated for March 9, stated sources.
The statement said that the decision of the ECP had coincided with the acceptance of nomination papers for the presidential candidate backed by the coalition-backed Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which includes the PTI and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
The final list of eligible candidates is expected to be released on Monday, with the option to withdraw nominations until March 6. The PTI has strongly criticised the ECP decision and has demanded the resignation of the chief and members of the board. The party has also urged the postponement of the upcoming presidential and Senate elections until the Supreme Court rules on the matter.
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