ECP files petition in SC seeking review of order on Punjab polls

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) filed on Wednesday a petition in the Supreme Court (SC) seeking a review on the apex court's orders to hold polls in Punjab on May 14.

On April 4, the top court had ordered elections to be held this month, ruling that the ECP's decision to postpone polls in Punjab till October 8 was unconstitutional.

The ECP had earlier set the date for elections on April 30, but then pushed it forward to October — in Punjab as well as KP.

In its ruling, the SC directed the caretaker government in Punjab to assist the ECP with elections and said the federal government has been asked to assist the commission. It also ordered authorities to release Rs21 billion to the ECP, another contentious issue.

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In its petition filed today, the commission said that the judiciary “does not have the authority to give the date of elections”.

It said that the superior court in Pakistan had been granted a special power by the Constitution to judicially review actions and decisions taken by public bodies, but never substitute their own decision in lieu of the public bodies.

“Such powers exist elsewhere under the Constitution but certainly not lie in a Court of law,” the electoral body said.

The petition comes at a time when both the government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) remain at a deadlock over when elections should be held.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said that both the government and PTI have agreed in principle to end the election deadlock and for polls to be held throughout the country on the same day.

PPP’s Yousaf Raza Gillani added that both sides agreed that election results would be accepted by all parties.

Talking to the media separately, PTI’s Shah Mahmood Qureshi also confirmed this development, saying that his party has “shown flexibility for national consensus”.

However, Qureshi said that the government and PTI couldn’t agree on the dissolution date of the national assembly and elections.

He said the PTI hoped that the election in Punjab would take place on May 14, as per the Supreme Court’s orders.