• PML-N-led alliance gains two-thirds majority in NA after ECP notifies 74 lawmakers
• Ruling coalition’s strength in NA jumps to 235, opposition shrinks to 98
• Four independents also added to govt tally
ISLAMABAD: The ruling coalition formally gained a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly on Wednesday after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) distributed the disputed reserved seats among the PML-N, PPP and JUI-F, in light of last week’s Supreme Court verdict.
The ECP issued victory notifications for 74 of 77 lawmakers, including 19 members of the National Assembly, 27 of the Punjab Assembly, 25 of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and three of the Sindh Assembly.
These reserved seats for women and non-Muslims were originally designated for the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) — the electoral front of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).
The ECP’s decision follows a landmark 7-3 majority decision by a 10-member constitutional bench of the Supreme Court, which last week overturned a previous 8-5 verdict delivered by a 13-member bench on July 12, 2024. The earlier judgement had ruled in favour of PTI’s eligibility for reserved seats.
The PML-N secured the most, bagging 43 out of the 74 seats across the national and provincial legislatures.
The PPP has benefited by the addition of 14 seats, while the JUI-F saw its tally rise by 13. One seat each has gone to the PML-Q, MQM-Pakistan, Awami National Party, PTI-Parliamentarians and the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP).
Among the 19 restored National Assembly seats, 13 were awarded to PML-N, four to PPP, and two to JUI-F.
Three National Assembly notifications were withheld — JUI-F’s Sadaf Khan, due to a Supreme Court order dated April 22, 2024; and PML-N’s Sobia Shahid and Shehla Bano, who have already taken oath as members of the KP Assembly.
Although the Supreme Court bench did not clarify how the reserved seats would be redistributed, the ECP had already allocated them among various parties following the Peshawar High Court’s decision.
However, a week after the apex court suspended the PHC verdict last year, the ECP had halted notifications for 77 lawmakers elected on these reserved seats across the National and provincial assemblies.
Updated party position
The National Assembly has now updated the party position. According to an official document issued by the NA Secretariat, the PML-N now leads with 123 members, the PPP has increased its strength to 74, the MQM-P holds 22 seats, PML-Q five, and IPP four. The Balochistan Awami Party, National Party, and PML-Z each retain one seat.
The total now stands at 231, but the document cites the ruling coalition’s strength as 235, also counting four independent lawmakers.
Sources told Dawn these include Chaudhry Usman Ali (NA-142 Sahiwal), Mubarak Zeb (NA-8 Bajaur), Aurangzeb Kitchi (NA-159 Vehari) and Zahoor Hussain Qureshi (NA-146 Khanewal) — all of whom were PTI-backed independents who have since switched allegiances.
According to the document, the opposition’s strength in the 333-member house has shrunk to 98, comprising 80 SIC members, 10 from JUI-F, five PTI-backed independents, and one each from Balochistan National Party, Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen and the Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party.
In the Punjab Assembly, PML-N’s tally has risen to 229 from 206 with the addition of 23 seats (21 for women and two for non-Muslims). PPP now holds 16 seats compared to 14 previously, as it gained one seat each reserved for women and minorities. PML-Q and IPP have 11 and seven seats, respectively, after gaining one reserved seat each for women.
In the Sindh Assembly, PPP’s numbers rose to 120, with one additional seat each for women and non-Muslims. Its rival MQM-P now holds 38 seats after securing one more reserved seat for women.
In KP, JUI-F saw the biggest gain, adding 10 seats (eight for women, two for non-Muslims) to reach a total of 29.
PML-N added seven (six for women, one for minorities), reaching 26. PPP’s representation doubled to 12 with the addition of five reserved seats for women and one for non-Muslims. PTI-Parliamentarians and ANP each added one seat, bringing their totals to five each.
Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2025
