According to reports on Thursday,
the Supreme Court of Pakistan has scheduled a hearing for matters related to
the general elections on Friday at 11:30am. The Election Commission of Pakistan
(ECP) had filed a petition the day prior, requesting a review of the court's
decision to conduct polls in Punjab on May 14. The ECP argued that changing the
election program was solely within its domain under Section 58 of the Elections
Act, 2017.
On the same day, the Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) also filed a civil miscellaneous application (CMA) in the
apex court, asking that the court ensures the implementation of its order to
hold the polls in Punjab on May 14. The PTI requested the court to conduct the
elections in Punjab on May 14 and to submit a report on the negotiations held
between the party and the government to decide the election date.
The PTI informed the court that
the government and the party could not reach a solution within the Constitution
on the Punjab Assembly election dates, "in spite of the best efforts of
[the] parties." The party urged that the court's order for the Punjab
Assembly elections to be held on May 14 should be "implemented in letter
and spirit so that the Constitution is upheld and does not stand
violated."
Last month, the apex court
declared the ECP's decision to postpone elections in Punjab as
"unconstitutional," dealing a blow to the government that has been
trying to delay the provincial election citing security issues and the economic
crisis. The court's three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan
Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Ijazul Ahsan,
also set May 14 as the date for the poll in the province.
The ECP had previously delayed
the provincial assembly election in Punjab by over five months, citing the
deteriorating security situation in the country. This move was criticized by
PTI chief Imran Khan, who has been demanding early elections since his ouster
last April in a no-confidence vote in parliament. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif
has dismissed the demand and remains committed to holding elections later this
year in one go, as per the ruling coalition's demand.
