The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) reserved its judgment on Monday in a case concerning the distribution of reserved seats in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly after hearing arguments from all involved factions.

A five-member ECP bench, led by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, heard submissions from five political organizations and 21 individual contenders. The organizations involved were the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Awami National Party (ANP), and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Parliamentarians (PTI-P).

Central to the debate were the calculation methodology for reserved seats, the schedule of formal announcements, and the final date for party affiliation modifications.

Senator Kamran Murtaza, acting for JUI-F, argued against voiding notifications for all reserved seats nationwide based on a single disputed seat.

PML-N’s representative, Aamir Javed, questioned the discrepancy in seat allocation given that PML-N and JUI-F secured an equal number of general seats. He maintained that, legally, a tie should be decided by drawing lots.

PPP’s advocate, Nayyar Bukhari, posited that his client”s situation was separate from that of PML-N and JUI-F, advocating for their dispute”s resolution before addressing the PPP”s concerns.

The ANP’s legal counsel stressed that seat allocation should reflect the immediate post-election political landscape.

PTI Parliamentarians also contested the counting of two of their members as one during the seat allocation process.

After hearing all arguments, the ECP reserved its decision, which is anticipated to significantly impact the KP Assembly”s makeup.