Pakistan Cabinet decides to take up Punjab election funds matter in the parliament

An emergency meeting of the federal Cabinet on Sunday decided to take up in Parliament the matter of providing funds to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for holding the polls in politically crucial Punjab province on May 14 as directed by the Supreme Court, according to a media report.

The decision was taken after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired the cabinet meeting on the weekly holiday (Sunday) to deal with the "current political and constitutional crises" in the country, the Express Tribune newspaper reported.

A three-member bench of the apex court led by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial on Tuesday fixed May 14 as the new date for elections to the Punjab Assembly, as it quashed the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) decision to extend the polls date from April 10 to October 8.

Despite the apex court’s order, the federal cabinet opted for debating the matter in Parliament before approving and issuing funds for the provincial elections, the paper said, citing its sources.

The meeting also held legal consultations and discussed the coalition government's strategy in view of the apex court's verdict ordering elections in Punjab on May 14.

The cabinet also deliberated on tabling the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill, 2023 – which aims to curtail the powers of the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take suo motu notice and constitute benches on his own – in the joint session of Parliament for approval as President Dr Arif Alvi has returned it for reconsideration without signing it, the paper said.

The prime minister has summoned another federal cabinet meeting on Monday at the Parliament House in Islamabad to discuss the issue, it added.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has separated itself from the Sharifs’ demand that Chief Justice Umar Ata Ban­dial should step down. But, according to sources, the party may review its stance at the last minute on whether to support its senior coalition partner’s decision to reject the apex court’s order on Punjab polls.

Earlier, a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) insider told Dawn newspaper that the release of funds for Punjab elections, President Dr Arif Alvi’s decision to return the Supreme Court Bill, and Justice Athar Minallah’s judicial note in the case of the election — which PML-N sees grossly in favour of its stance — would come under discussion during the meeting.

He said the Sharifs were in a complete mood to defy the CJP-led three-member bench’s decision to hold elections in the province on May 14 and there was no secret in it.

“Be it Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz...all in one voice have rejected the three-bench verdict and the parliament is also standing behind the PML-N’s stance,” he said and added that the party was also unanimous on this point.

Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar earlier also did not give any hint that the government would be releasing funds to the ECP for the Punjab polls.

“The Supreme Court’s order for the federal government is to give Rs 21 billion for elections in Punjab by April 10. Of course, the finance ministry and the cabinet have an important responsibility in this, and I am a part of it,” he said but did not indicate the amount his ministry would release by April 10.

The Dawn report showed that Maryam Nawaz declared that the party was ready for disqualification.

“The SC had disqualified Nawaz Sharif and if it decides to issue a contempt notice to Prime Minister Shehbaz we don’t care as we have rejected the three-member bench decision on Punjab polls which in fact was 4/3,” she had said.

The rift between the government and the top judiciary is proof that Pakistan’s political and economic woes are not going to end any sooner and instability will continue to haunt the country. PTI SH ZH ZH