Pakistan News: The Election Commission of Pakistan delivered a blow to a party aligned with former premier Imran Khan, ruling it ineligible for additional reserved seats in the legislature.

This decision compounds Khan’s challenges as he remains incarcerated due to multiple convictions, despite his party securing the most seats in the recent national election on February 8th.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, unable to participate under its customary cricket bat symbol due to technicalities, formed an alliance with the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) in hopes of securing reserved seats. However, the Election Commission dismissed SIC’s claim for these seats for women and non-Muslims, reallocating them to other parties instead.

This development strengthens the parliamentary presence of the delicate coalition led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), with backing from the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

Reacting to the ruling, one of Khan’s legal representatives, Senator Ali Zafar, vowed to challenge the decision in the higher courts, denouncing it as undemocratic.

In accordance with Pakistan’s electoral regulations, parties are allotted 70 reserved seats—60 for women and 10 for non-Muslims—based on their electoral performance. Despite Khan’s candidates contesting as independents due to the party’s symbol issue, the ruling has further complicated their political landscape.