Muneer Ahmad, represented by Advocate Azhar Siddique, has filed a petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) challenging the Election Amendment Act 2024.

The petition names the federal government, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), and various political parties as respondents. The petitioner argues that the act is an attempt to overturn the Supreme Court's ruling on reserved seats, contending that it cannot be applied retroactively.

The applicant has urged the court to declare the Election Amendment Act 2024 unconstitutional and to suspend the allocation of reserved seats to any party other than Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) until a final decision is made.

This petition follows a similar one already filed in the LHC, which named the Prime Minister, President, ECP, and federal government as respondents. That petition claims that four amendments were made to the Election Act without proper consultation and approval from the relevant committee.

The petitioner has also requested that sections 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the Election Act be declared null and void, and that the enforcement of the act be halted.

In a related development, PTI has filed an application in the Supreme Court against the Election Amendment Act, alleging it is an attempt to undermine the party.

On August 7, President Asif Ali Zardari signed the contentious Election Act Amendment Bill 2024 into law. The bill was passed by the Senate on August 6, despite protests from the opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

The amendment stipulates that any candidate who fails to submit a party certificate before obtaining an election symbol will be considered an independent candidate. Additionally, political parties that do not submit their list of candidates for reserved seats within the specified period will forfeit their entitlement to those seats. The amendment further states that a candidate's declaration of political affiliation will be irrevocable.

Last month, a full bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, delivered a ruling on a petition by the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) regarding reserved seats. The court overturned the decisions of the Peshawar High Court and the Election Commission, directing that the reserved seats be allocated to the PTI. The ruling was not unanimous, with Justices Aminuddin Khan and Naeem Afghan dissenting.