On June 27, 2025, Pakistan’s Supreme Court Constitutional Bench, led by Justice Aminuddin Khan, delivered a 7-5 ruling that restored 77 reserved seats in the National Assembly and provincial assemblies, overturning a prior decision favouring the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Consequently, the court upheld the Peshawar High Court’s (PHC) stance, reallocating these seats to the ruling coalition, significantly altering Pakistan’s legislative landscape.
The ruling allocates 22 seats in the National Assembly, including 19 for women and 3 for minorities, to parties such as the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F). The distribution of seats benefits Punjab, which gains 27 seats, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) receives 25 seats, and Sindh gets 3. This strengthens the coalition’s position, as reported. Specifically, PML-N secures 14 National Assembly seats, PPP obtains 5, and JUI-F gets 3, with similar seat distributions observed in Punjab and KP. This decision reverses the earlier verdict from July 12, 2024, which had awarded the seats to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
The court has instructed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to verify the affiliations of 80 candidates in response to disputes regarding their nomination papers. Justices Mazhar and Rizvi emphasised the importance of this scrutiny, while Justice Mandokhail partially dissented. He upheld the validity of 39 seats but called for a review of 41. Additionally, the PTI-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) lost its claim because it missed the ECP’s deadline for submitting candidate lists on January 24, which violated Article 51(6).
Read: Pakistan Supreme Court Overturns PTI’s Reserved Seats Ruling in 7-5 Decision
The verdict removes the coalition’s two-thirds majority in the National Assembly, leaving it with 208 seats compared to the opposition’s 128. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has seen a decline in its influence after winning 86 seats as independents, resulting in visible discontent among its supporters. On the other hand, this ruling strengthens the authority of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). It supports the arguments made by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) that the SIC’s failure to participate in the elections resulted in its disqualification.
The ECP will issue a revised seat notification, reshaping legislative dynamics, though the sentiment remains inconclusive. Meanwhile, this decision may influence coalition strategies and voter sentiment as Pakistan approaches future elections, with the ruling coalition now holding a stronger position.
