ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has annulled the Election Commission of Pakistan’s March 22 decision to defer the elections for the Punjab Assembly to October 8, declaring it as unconstitutional and illegal.
Pronouncing the six-page verdict in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa poll delay case on Tuesday, Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial ruled that the ECP has no power to forward the election date. The CJP declared that the elections in Punjab will now be held on May 14 instead of April 30.
The court ordered the federal government to provide Rs21 billion to the ECP by April 10 for the election expenses, warning that in case of non-provision of funds, the court will take action against the relevant officials.
The court directed the interim Punjab government, chief secretary and IG police to provide a complete security plan by April 10. The court also directed the federal government to arrange for security during the conduct of the elections with the help of armed forces and Rangers.
It asked the ECP to inform the Supreme Court if the federal and interim governments do not assist it. The court ordered that for the Punjab Assembly polls, the nomination papers will be submitted by April 10. The last date to file an appeal will be April 17 and appeals will be reviewed on April 18.
The final list of candidates will be released on April 19. And candidates will be allotted election symbols on April 20. The court ordered the ECP to submit the report regarding the provision of funds to the court on April 11. The report will be submitted to the chamber of bench members. In case of non-provision of funds, the court will issue an appropriate order in light of that report.
The court ordered the Punjab government to fully cooperate with the ECP so that it can fulfil its constitutional responsibilities. According to the verdict, in the first stage, funds for the Punjab election should be collected. A fair and transparent election must be ensured, the order said. In its verdict, the SC said that other matters were also raised during the court proceedings. Two judges recused themselves from hearing the case.
Justice Qazi Faez Isa’s decision does not affect our bench, the order said. The CJP also announced that the court will continue to hear the matter pertaining to the holding of elections for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly. He said that the detailed order of the court will be released later.