Supreme Court rules PTI eligible for reserved seats

PM Shehbaz Sharif’s ruling coalition suffered a significant blow on Friday when the Supreme Court of Pakistan ruled that Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party was qualified to run for seats intended for women and minorities.
Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa led a 13-member panel of the highest court that delivered the decision. After concluding the hearing on a series of appeals filed by the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), which is supported by the PTI, the court had postponed making a verdict on the case until yesterday.
The SIC had submitted a petition in March, requesting that the alliance be given the 77 seats reserved for women and minorities that had been originally awarded to PM Shehbaz’s ruling coalition following the general elections on February 8.