Supreme Court's Ruling Bolsters Imran Khan's Party in Parliament

Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled that Imran Khan's PTI party is eligible for 23 extra reserved seats in parliament. The decision does not affect the majority of the ruling coalition but boosts PTI’s political stance, amidst allegations of election fraud. The ruling denies the coalition a two-thirds majority.

Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled on Friday that jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party is eligible for over 20 extra reserved seats in parliament, intensifying pressure on the country's fragile coalition government.

Khan's PTI party contested the Feb. 8 election as independents after being banned from the polls. They secured the most seats, but the election commission had declared independents ineligible for 70 reserved seats meant for political parties. The commission had allocated these reserved seats to other parties, mostly from the ruling coalition.

Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa confirmed PTI's entitlement to its reserved seats, supported by eight judges and opposed by five in the 13-member bench. The ruling, granting 23 reserved seats to PTI, does not alter the parliamentary majority of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's coalition government, according to Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar.