ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday summoned Secretary Finance and Attorney General for Pakistan to appear in a case related to non-provision of funds to the Election Commission of Pakistan for elections in Punjab.
The Registrar office issued notice to the secretary finance, Governor State Bank of Pakistan and other officials for not not providing funds to the ECP and directed them to appear before the court on April 14.
The notice issued by the SC registrar office also sought explanation from the officials concerned as to why the funds were not provided to the ECP for Punjab polls.
The apex court also sought record of the elections from ECP in the latest development.
The development took place after the ECP submitted a report to the Supreme Court about the funds and security necessary for holding elections in Punjab.
The electoral body revealed that they had not yet received funds from the government and that the security measures were inadequate. However, efforts to address the security issue are still underway.
The ECP also informed the court about the need for funding and security measures to conduct the elections in Punjab. This development came after the Senate and the joint session of parliament passed resolutions in favor of holding nationwide elections simultaneously.
According to the resolutions, holding elections in Punjab first and then in other provinces would harm the federation and negatively impact other provinces. The resolutions also emphasized the importance of political stability for economic stability and called for simultaneous general elections.
Senators of the coalition government argued that holding elections in Punjab before other provinces would not be economically viable and would double the cost. Simultaneous elections, they argued, would be more cost-effective.
Last week, a SC three-member bench overturned the ECP’s decision to postpone the elections until October 8 and set May 14 as the new date for the Punjab elections. The court also directed the federal government to provide funds to the ECP for the Punjab elections by April 10 and required the ECP to submit reports on the receipt of funds and security for the elections by April 11.
The sources said that Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Awan also held meeting with Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial and regarding the orders about provision of funds for elections.
They said that the CJP, in its meeting with the AGP, said that the top court would protect the Constitution and would ensure rule of law in the country.
The CJP, the sources said, emphasized upon the supremacy of the Constitution, pointing out that they were determined to enforce the order in letter and spirit.
The Senate and joint session of the parliament approved resolutions for elections in the country at the same time.
The coalition government also presented a bill in the National Assembly in a bid to seek approval for the provision of the funds for elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakthunkhwa which was later forwarded to the parliamentary committee concerned for deliberations.
