Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the recently passed Election Amendment Act 2024. PTI chairman Barrister Gohar submitted the constitutional petition under Article 184(3) of the Constitution, arguing that the amendment is unconstitutional and illegal.

The petition seeks to have the amendment act declared null and void. PTI has named the federal government and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) as respondents in the case. Additionally, the party has requested that the court immediately restrain the ECP from allocating reserved seats to other political parties.

PTI is also asking the court to allocate reserved seats for women and minorities to the party, stating that it has already submitted the required lists to the ECP. The party contends that, following the Supreme Court's July 12 verdict, the reserved seats are legally theirs.

The Supreme Court has been requested to expedite the hearing and provide relief to PTI.

The Election Amendment Act 2024 was approved by the National Assembly yesterday. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Bilal Azhar Kiyani presented the bill, which proposes amendments to the Elections Act 2017, aiming to bar lawmakers from changing their party affiliation after being elected.

The opposition protested against the passage of the bill, with some members tearing copies of the house agenda. According to the new legislation, lawmakers cannot change their party within three days of winning an election, and reserved seats cannot be allotted to a party that did not win any seats in the election.

This legislation follows the Supreme Court's recent decision to allocate reserved seats to PTI. A 13-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, ruled in favor of PTI, overturning the Peshawar High Court's decision that had upheld the ECP's denial of the reserved seats to the party. The verdict, announced by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah with an 8-5 majority, was opposed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justices Jamal Mandokhail, Naeem Afghan, Yahya Afridi, and Ameenuddin Khan.

The PTI's petition highlights ongoing political tensions and legal battles as the party seeks to secure its position and rights within the legislative framework of Pakistan.