ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) ordered to hold snap elections on Tuesday, invalidating the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision regarding the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) elections. This decision was a long-standing demand made by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan after he dissolved the assemblies in both provinces.
A three-judge panel headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial and including Justices Ijaz Ul Ahsan and Munib Akhtar announced the decision and ruled that the ECP’s choice to conduct elections on October 8 rather than April 30 was unlawful.
The Supreme Court has ruled that the ECP’s decision from March 22, 2023, is invalid, lacking in legal standing or jurisdiction, void ab initio, and has no bearing on the law. It is therefore hereby quashed.
The court’s decision stated that neither the Constitution nor the legislation give the commission the authority to move the election’s date past the 90-day window specified in Article 224(2) of the Constitution.
The decision stated that the poll schedule for the Punjab Assembly general election is “revived and restored” right away with a few changes.
The modifications, it continued, were made because the remaining 6–11 stages could not be implemented because the programme had already hit stage 5 when the ECP announced its order that “illegally purported to withdraw the election programme.”
The jury found that because 13 days were lost, the remaining phases needed to be advanced to account for the time lost, and the programme needed to be adjusted as a result.
In its ruling, the Supreme Court mandated that the election day be shifted from April 30 to May 14.
Additionally, it claimed that the electoral body had stated that, with help and support from the “executive authorities,” it would be able to organise and execute the general elections in Punjab and KP.
The SC then issued an order directing the federal government to release and provide ECP with funds totaling Rs21 billion by April 10 for general elections in Punjab and KP, in accordance with its claim. Furthermore, it instructed the ECP to submit a report on the matter by April 11.
