The Supreme Court of Pakistan has dismissed the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) review petition against the top court’s order to hold Punjab Assembly elections on May 14.
The ECP had filed the petition after the May 14 deadline set by the SC expired. The Commission argued that the apex court did not have the authority to give the date of elections and that such powers lie elsewhere under the Constitution.
However, the SC bench, headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, rejected the petition, saying that the ECP did not have the authority to extend the polls date.
The court also noted that the ECP had not yet received the Rs21 billion required for holding elections on May 14.
The SC’s decision is a blow to the ECP, which had been hoping to delay the elections until October 8. The decision is also a victory for the PTI, which had been demanding that the elections be held on May 14.
The Punjab Assembly was dissolved earlier this year in January, on the directives of PTI Chairman Imran Khan in a bid to force the previous government in the Centre to hold snap polls.
The PTI has accused the ECP of delaying the elections in order to benefit the ruling PDM coalition. The PDM has denied these accusations.
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The SC’s decision has now cleared the way for the holding of the Punjab Assembly elections on May 14. It remains to be seen whether the elections will be held on that date or whether the ECP will file another petition in the SC seeking a delay.
Here are some additional details from this:
- The initial bench formed to hear the election delay case comprised five members, but it was reconstituted multiple times due to the recusal of two judges.
- The diminished three-member bench rejected Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan’s request for the formation of a full court to hear the case.
- The ECP had argued that the apex court disregarded its constitutional jurisdiction by assuming upon itself the role of a public body in giving a date for the elections.
- The SC had ordered the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to allocate and release Rs21 billion from the funds held with it to the ECP in a bid to ensure elections on the prescribed date.
- The PTI had submitted a report to the top court on negotiations with the then PDM-led government, requesting the apex court to ensure implementation of its April 4 judgment regarding holding elections to the Punjab Assembly on May 14.
The narrative drew to a close against the backdrop of political maneuvering. Earlier in the year, the Punjab Assembly was dissolved in January by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan, propelling the nation toward snap polls and encapsulating a tumultuous chapter in Pakistan’s political and legal history.