The ECP has stopped notifying 77 lawmakers from the various assemblies after the Supreme Court objected to its decision to give the Sunni Ittehad Council-PTI alliance’s claimed reserved seats to its rival parties. Any intentions the ruling coalition may have had to amend the Constitution without first gaining support from the opposition have been dashed, at least for the time being.The fate of the senators who were elected to the Upper House in the most recent round of elections is also up for debate. The results of the senatorial election were tainted by the 77 lawmakers who have been suspended from office. It is hoped that the supreme court won’t linger on the issue given the stakes and the effects on Pakistani democracy.
A bench of at least five judges must determine how the Constitution intended for reserved seats to be distributed because the court has taken up the case as one that requires constitutional interpretation. In order to prevent any longer than absolutely necessary disruption to the functioning of parliament, the court must announce a bench as soon as possible. It is unfortunate that we still do not have a clear picture of the political situation more than three months after the general election. The exercise was supposed to bring stability, but that is still a pipe dream. Even though some politician or other frequently appears on television to reassure the populace that the country has turned the corner and that better times are on the horizon, it is hard to place much trust in such pronouncements, particularly in light of the fact that it is evident that the numerous institutional conflicts that have formed the basis of our polycrisis are still far from being resolved.
Even with all the authority required to responsibly lead the nation through a democratic transition, it was only able to pull off an election that was far from fulfilling the ideals of “free, fair, impartial, and inclusive.” Subsequently, it mishandled the handling of election results, leading to significant disputes about the “rigging” of the results. Since then, the ECP has been unable or unwilling to respond to the avalanche of post-election complaints. For instance, it is incomprehensible why, after receiving nominations from the Lahore High Court, it refuses to notify additional election tribunals for Punjab. It is obvious that its actions and decisions must be evaluated in the context of the nation’s laws, and its contentious choice regarding reserved seats appears toStarting with the contentious reserved seat decision seems appropriate
