Elections Act amendment cannot undo reserved seats judgment: SC

The top court’s ruling in the reserved seats case cannot be overturned, and the Supreme Court has reaffirmed that parliament’s modification to the Elections Act does not have retroactive effect.
The second clarification follows separate appeals to the supreme court last month by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for an explanation of the court’s decision to award reserved seats to the party founded by Imran Khan.
On July 12, the top court ruled that the troubled PTI could use seats designated for minorities and women. However, the Election Act of 2017 was amended by the government, which compelled the ECP to ask the highest court for clarification.
The judges of the Apex court emphasised that the request was “misconceived” and directed ECP to execute the decision.