Supreme Court to take up Punjab election case tomorrow

The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) has fixed the hearing of the case pertaining to elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for tomorrow (Friday) at 11:30 am, Aaj News reported on Thursday.

The top court also released the detailed order of the April 27 hearing, saying that there was no change in its April 4 verdict with regard to the election in Punjab on May 14.

The development comes a day after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) filed a petition in the apex court seeking a review of its order to conduct polls in Punjab on May 14.

In the plea, the commission maintained that changing the election program was the solitary domain of the ECP under Section 58 of the Elections Act, 2017.

Later the same day, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) also filed a civil miscellaneous application (CMA) in the apex court praying that its order on holding the polls in Punjab on May 14 must be ensured.

In its application, the PTI requested the court to hold elections in Punjab on May 14 while submitting a report on the negotiations held between it and the government to decide the date of the elections.

The party informed the top court in its application that the government and PTI could not reach a solution within the Constitution on the Punjab Assembly election dates, “in spite of the best efforts of [the] parties”.

The former ruling party pleaded that the top 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”.

'Punjab polls on May 14'

Last month, the apex court struck down the ECP's decision to delay elections in Punjab. The government had been attempting to defer the provincial election by citing security concerns and economic instability.

A three-member bench, led by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, alongside Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Ijazul Ahsan, declared the Commission's actions as "unconstitutional." The court further ordered the elections to be held on May 14, thereby upholding the democratic process and rule of law.

Last month, the Commission justified its decision to delay the election in Punjab by more than five months. The deteriorating security situation in the cash-strapped country was cited as the primary reason. However, the move was criticised by Imran Khan, the leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, who has been pushing for early elections since being removed from power in April of last year.

In contrast, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has remained steadfast in his position that elections should be held later this year, in line with the demands of the ruling coalition. Despite Khan's protests, the court's verdict has upheld the democratic principles of free and fair elections, which are essential for ensuring the stability and progress of any nation.