Following a key Supreme Court verdict, the ruling alliance in Pakistan’s National Assembly has increased its seat count and now holds a two-thirds majority. The Supreme Court’s constitutional bench approved review petitions related to reserved seats, overturning its earlier July 12 decision and upholding the Peshawar High Court’s ruling that denied reserved seats to the Sunni Ittehad Council.
Before the verdict, the ruling alliance had 218 members in the National Assembly. This included 110 members from PML-N, 70 from PPP, 22 from MQM-P, and 5 from PML-Q. The opposition had a total of 100 members, including 80 from Sunni Ittehad Council, 8 independents backed by PTI, and 8 from JUI-F.
After the decision, PML-N gained 15 more seats, PPP received 4, and JUI-F got 3. As a result, PML-N now holds 125 seats, PPP 74, and JUI-F 11. These gains have significantly shifted the parliamentary power in favor of the ruling coalition.
With these additional seats, the alliance now commands support from 237 members in the 336-member house. A two-thirds majority requires 224 members, so the ruling coalition has crossed that mark, strengthening its legislative power.
The verdict was passed with a 7-5 majority by the Supreme Court’s constitutional bench. It marks a major political shift and is likely to impact future legislative decisions and constitutional amendments.