ISLAMABAD: On Friday, the Pakistani Election Commission provided the Supreme Court with a report on the financial resources available for holding elections in the provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to sources, the two-page report listed the reasons why there weren’t enough funds for the polls. The report was delivered to the SC by the ECP last night. The report states that the federal government has not yet provided funding to the ECP. In this regard, the top court gave the ECP secretary a notice and gave the federal government until April 27 to provide the polls fund for a third time.
The Supreme Court on Thursday adjourned indefinitely the hearing of the petition seeking simultaneous elections in the country after hearing from all the sides about the prospects of the talks between the government and the opposition.
Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Umar Ata Bandial declared that political parties should sit together and find a solution to the issue, otherwise the court is there to act.
He remarked the court had proposed political dialogue keeping in view the prevailing situation in the country. “The political atmosphere is bitter,” he said.
CJP Bandial remarked the court could not force the government to enter into dialogue with the opposition. “There is a proposal, not an order, to hold talks. For now, the court is not issuing any directive or timeline,” he made it clear.
The top judge observed that there is Constitution and the apex court’s judgement if there would be no outcome of the talks.
On Wednesday, National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf wrote a letter to CJP Bandial conveying “profound concerns” of the elected representatives over recent Supreme Court orders and some comments by judges, terming them an “encroachment” on parliament’s domain.
In his five-page letter, the speaker advised the Supreme Court to “avoid getting involved in the political thicket”, saying that “it is best to leave the resolution of political matters by the parliament and the political parties”.
