Pakistan Supreme Court grants seats to jailed ex-PM Imran Khan's party

Pakistan's Supreme Court has granted jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party around 20 seats in parliament reserved for women and minorities, months after national elections marred by allegations of pre-poll rigging.

"Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was and is a political party which secured and won… general seats in the national and provincial assemblies in the general elections of 2024," in the majority decision read by Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah on Friday.

"It is declared that lack or denial of an election symbol doesn’t in any manner affect the constitutional or legal rights of a political party to participate in an election."

"The PTI shall be entitled to reserved seats for women and minorities in the national assembly accordingly," he added.

In February polls, candidates loyal to Imran Khan won the largest share of seats — despite an election commission ruling requiring them to contest as independents.

Unelected seats reserved for women and non-Muslims are handed out to parties in proportion to the number of elected seats they secured.

Appeal decision pending

Pakistan's lower house elected Shehbaz Sharif as prime minister for a second term in March, three weeks after the February 8 general elections.​​​​​​​

His government is propped up by a coalition of religious and regional parties and a supply and demand deal with its long-term rival Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

In order to stand as a bloc in the National Assembly, candidates loyal to Khan later aligned with a lesser-known party, the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).

The Election Commission of Pakistan had earlier ruled against handing the reserved seats to SIC or PTI.

Already detained in custody over dozens of legal cases, Khan was convicted in the days before the polls for a trio of offences that saw him sentenced to 14 years in prison.

A UN panel of experts said this month that Khan's detention "had no legal basis and appears to have been intended to disqualify him from running for political office".

A treason conviction carrying a decade-long sentence was overturned in April and a 14-year sentence for graft was suspended in June, though the conviction stands.

An appeal decision is pending over his conviction for breaking Islamic law by marrying his wife Bushra Bibi too soon after her divorce.