The National Assembly Secretariat has officially recognized PTI-backed independent members within the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), listing 83 lawmakers on its website as part of the SIC. This marks the SIC as the second-largest party in the lower house.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had previously informed the National Assembly Secretariat about including these independent members.
The PTI lost its election symbol in December 2023 after failing to conduct internal party elections, a decision the Supreme Court later affirmed. Consequently, PTI candidates competed as independents in the February 8 general elections.
Post-election, these independents, forming the largest group in the National Assembly, adhered to electoral laws requiring them to affiliate with a party within three days of the election results. They chose to align with the SIC.
However, due to SIC’s failure to submit a list of nominees for reserved seats in advance, the election oversight body denied them the reserved seats, allocating these to other parties instead. This resulted in the PML-N becoming the largest party, securing 120 seats.
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