PML-N Gains Majority Edge as Supreme Court Ruling Reshapes Parliament

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has emerged as the biggest political beneficiary following the Supreme Court’s Constitutional Bench (CB) decision last week, which led to a sweeping reallocation of reserved seats in both the National Assembly and provincial legislatures.

On Wednesday, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) redistributed 77 reserved seats across the assemblies, a move prompted by the CB’s 7-3 verdict overturning an earlier Supreme Court judgment from July 2024. That earlier ruling had allotted reserved seats to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed independents via the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC). The recent decision revived the Peshawar High Court’s March 2024 order, disqualifying SIC from being considered a parliamentary party — effectively stripping PTI of its claim to reserved seats.

Following this, the ECP declared 19 National Assembly reserved seats now vacant, with 13 allotted to PML-N, four to the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP), and two to Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI). This shift gave the ruling coalition — including PML-N, PPPP, MQM-P and others — a commanding two-thirds majority in the 336-member lower house, where 333 seats are currently occupied.

The ECP simultaneously withdrew its previous notifications from July 2024, which had recognized PTI-backed independents as PTI legislators. A new notification confirmed the names of the lawmakers filling the redistributed reserved seats, reshaping the parliamentary landscape.

According to updated figures released by the National Assembly Secretariat, the government now holds 235 seats, with 98 seats forming the opposition. One member is suspended, while two reserved seats remain vacant.

At the provincial level, PML-N also expanded its foothold. In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 10 reserved seats were given to JUI-F, followed by seven for PML-N, six for PPPP, and one each for PTI-Parliamentarians and ANP. In Punjab, PML-N secured 23 additional seats, with PPPP receiving two, and one each to PML-Q and IPP. In Sindh, PPPP gained two more seats while MQM-P received one.

The ruling further consolidates PML-N’s position as the leading force in the current political setup, while the PTI — deprived of parliamentary status — finds itself sidelined from institutional influence.