ISLAMABAD: As Supreme Court resumes hearing today, Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC)’s challenge to Peshawar High Court’s March 14 verdict, Election Commission of Pakistan justified its decision to deny party reserved seats for women and non-Muslims.

Full-court bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa and comprising Justices Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Munib Akhtar, Yahya Afridi, Amin-ud-Din Khan, Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Ayesha A. Malik, Athar Minallah, Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Shahid Waheed, Irfan Saadat Khan and Naeem Akhtar Afghan will take up SIC challenge today.

In concise statement furnished before apex court through senior counsel Sikandar Bashir Mohmand, ECP argued that SIC did not meet criteria and is therefore not eligible for reserved seats for women and non-Muslims on account of not being political party within meaning of articles 51(6)(d), 56(6)(e) and 106(3)(c) of Constitution, as well as election programme’s requirement to furnish a list of priority (Form 66) in timely manner for reserved seats. ECP also pointed out that Article 3 of SIC constitution limits party’s membership to adult Muslims only, imposing certain restrictions that violate Articles 17, 20 and 25 of Constitution. Based on this alone, commission argued that SIC is not entitled to any reserved seats, particularly those for women and non-Muslims.