The National Assembly secretariat released a revised list on September 18 detailing the party standings in the lower house of parliament, excluding the disputed reserved seats. This list was issued prior to the letter sent by Speaker Ayaz Sadiq to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) regarding the Supreme Court’s July 12 verdict.
Exclusion of Reserved Seats
The list does not include:
- 15 reserved seats granted to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
- Five seats allocated to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
- Three seats given to the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JIU-F).
This development follows NA Speaker Sadiq’s letter to the ECP, in which he termed the Supreme Court’s ruling as “incapable of implementation” after amendments to the Election Act of 2017.
Context: The Supreme Court Ruling and the PTI
The apex court’s decision declared Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) eligible for reserved seats, allowing the reentry of the Imran Khan-founded party into the assemblies. Following this ruling, the electoral body notified 93 lawmakers as PTI members across various legislatures.
However, the ruling coalition quickly passed the Elections (Second Amendment) Act, 2024 and the Elections (Second Amendment) Bill, 2024 in both the National Assembly and Senate on August 6, with President Asif Ali Zardari giving his assent on August 9.
Sadiq’s Letter to the ECP and the Amendments
In his letter, Speaker Ayaz Sadiq highlighted two key provisions from the amendments:
- Amendment to Section 66: If a candidate fails to declare affiliation with a political party before requesting an election symbol, they will be treated as an independent candidate.
- Amendment to Section 104: Once an independent candidate joins a political party, their declaration is irrevocable.
Moreover, the letter noted that these amendments have retrospective effect from 2017, the year the Election Act 2017 was passed.
Current Party Position in the National Assembly
According to the September 18 list, the party standings in the National Assembly are as follows:
Treasury Benches (213 Members)
- PML-N: 110 MNAs
- PPP: 69 MNAs
- Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P): 22 MNAs
- Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q): 5 MNAs
- Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP): 4 MNAs
- Pakistan Muslim League-Zia (PML-Z): 1 MNA
- Balochistan Awami Party (BAP): 1 MNA
- National Party (NP): 1 MNA
Opposition Benches (80 Members)
- SIC: 80 members
- JIU-F: 8 MNAs
- PTI-backed independents: 8 MNAs
- Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP): 1 MNA
- Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M): 1 MNA
- Wahdat-e-Muslimeen: 1 MNA
Additionally, one independent lawmaker who was seated in the opposition has joined the PML-N.
Total Members in the National Assembly
- The current number of MNAs is 313, excluding the 23 reserved seats.
- Once the disputed seats are resolved, the total number will increase to 336.
