<p>Islamabad: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/pakistan">Pakistan'</a>s top judge on Monday said he was puzzled why jailed former prime minister <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/imran-khan">Imran Khan</a>’s <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/tehreek-e-insaf">Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf</a> committed political "suicide" when it decided to merge with the Sunni Ittehad Council ahead of the February 8 general elections.</p>.<p>Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa made the remarks as the Supreme Court resumed hearing on a petition filed by the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), an ally of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, challenging the Peshawar High Court's verdict denying reserved seats for women and minorities in the national and provincial assemblies, Geo News reported.</p>.Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif calls for united front against terrorism amid resurgence of Taliban militancy.<p>"Why did the independent candidates leave PTI when it is a political party? Why did you commit suicide by joining another party which goes against your arguments?" the chief justice, who headed a 13-member bench, asked.</p>.<p>He said that had the independent candidates stayed with the PTI, there would have been no problem today.</p>.<p>Khan’s party joined hands with the SIC ahead of the February 8 general elections to contest the polls after the Election Commission stripped the PTI of its electoral symbol, a decision upheld by the top court.</p>.<p>In a 4-1 verdict in March, the Election Commission ruled that SIC could not claim reserved seats due to significant legal flaws and failure to submit a mandatory party list for such seats.</p>.<p>The party had then approached the PHC, which upheld the electoral body's decision.</p>.<p>In April, SIC moved the apex court seeking to set aside the PHC verdict and the allocation of 67 women and 11 minority seats in the assemblies.</p>.<p>On May 6, a three-member SC bench suspended the PHC verdict and referred the matter to the judges' committee for the formation of a larger bench since the matter required constitutional interpretation.</p>.<p>On Saturday, the election commission told the apex court that the SIC does not qualify for reserved seats as the political party doesn't allow non-Muslims to be a part of it.</p>.<p>The ECP also informed the top court that the reserved seats cannot be allotted to the SIC as the party failed to submit a timely priority list for reserved seats as required by the election programme. PTI ZH AKJ ZH ZH</p>
<p>Islamabad: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/pakistan">Pakistan'</a>s top judge on Monday said he was puzzled why jailed former prime minister <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/imran-khan">Imran Khan</a>’s <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/tehreek-e-insaf">Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf</a> committed political "suicide" when it decided to merge with the Sunni Ittehad Council ahead of the February 8 general elections.</p>.<p>Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa made the remarks as the Supreme Court resumed hearing on a petition filed by the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), an ally of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, challenging the Peshawar High Court's verdict denying reserved seats for women and minorities in the national and provincial assemblies, Geo News reported.</p>.Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif calls for united front against terrorism amid resurgence of Taliban militancy.<p>"Why did the independent candidates leave PTI when it is a political party? Why did you commit suicide by joining another party which goes against your arguments?" the chief justice, who headed a 13-member bench, asked.</p>.<p>He said that had the independent candidates stayed with the PTI, there would have been no problem today.</p>.<p>Khan’s party joined hands with the SIC ahead of the February 8 general elections to contest the polls after the Election Commission stripped the PTI of its electoral symbol, a decision upheld by the top court.</p>.<p>In a 4-1 verdict in March, the Election Commission ruled that SIC could not claim reserved seats due to significant legal flaws and failure to submit a mandatory party list for such seats.</p>.<p>The party had then approached the PHC, which upheld the electoral body's decision.</p>.<p>In April, SIC moved the apex court seeking to set aside the PHC verdict and the allocation of 67 women and 11 minority seats in the assemblies.</p>.<p>On May 6, a three-member SC bench suspended the PHC verdict and referred the matter to the judges' committee for the formation of a larger bench since the matter required constitutional interpretation.</p>.<p>On Saturday, the election commission told the apex court that the SIC does not qualify for reserved seats as the political party doesn't allow non-Muslims to be a part of it.</p>.<p>The ECP also informed the top court that the reserved seats cannot be allotted to the SIC as the party failed to submit a timely priority list for reserved seats as required by the election programme. PTI ZH AKJ ZH ZH</p>