The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) may not get reserved seats for women and minorities in the National and provincial assemblies despite allowing its independent returned candidates to join smaller political parties like the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) or the Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM).
The Election Act, 2017 makes only those women and minority nominees eligible to be considered for reserved seats whose names are submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) within a specified period by each political party. After the lapse of the specified period, no name can be added.
This means that PTI-backed independents joining political parties like the JI/MWM or any other party will not pave the way for the election of the PTI’s women and minority nominees against the reserved seats in the National and provincial assemblies. PTI independents joining the JI or MWM can only benefit the nominees for the reserved seats of these parties (JI or MWM) and not those of the PTI.
On December 18 last year, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) instructed candidates competing for reserved seats designated for women and minorities to acquire nomination papers from the relevant returning officers and district election commissioners. The ECP set December 22 as the deadline for the submission of these nomination papers to returning officers.
When contacted, former secretary of the Election Commission of Pakistan Kanwar Dilshad said that the Election Act bars the PTI from securing its reserved seats by joining any party.
