The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) asked the Supreme Court on Wednesday to review its decision to hold elections in Punjab on May 14.
The electoral board asked the Supreme Court in a 14-page appeal to stay its May 14 ruling pending the outcome of the revision case on the issue.
“The Supreme Court should reconsider its decision because the judiciary lacks the authority to set election dates,” the ECP petition stated.
“If the decision is not suspended, the election commission will suffer an irreparable loss,” the petitioner pleaded.
The ECP underlined that setting the election date is “not the mandate of superior courts under the Constitution.”
The supreme court was also asked to “accept the instant Review Petition by revisiting, reviewing, reconsidering, and recalling its April 4 order.”
Gvot-PTI agree on single-day polls
The third round of discussions between the ruling coalition and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) ended late Tuesday, with both parties agreeing to hold general elections on the same day across the country.
PTI was represented at the talks by a three-member team consisting of Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Fawad Chaudhry, and Senator Ali Zafar.
Meanwhile, the ruling coalition delegation includes PML-N members Ishaq Dar, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Azam Nazeer Tarar, and Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, as well as PPP members Senator Yousuf Raza Gilani and Syed Naveed Qamar.
Following the meeting, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, speaking on behalf of the government, stated that a consensus was reached on holding elections on the same day across the country under a caretaker setup.
The finance minister stated that both parties had proposed dates for national elections. “Both sides still don’t agree on one point on the agenda,” he added, adding that another round will be held soon.
Ishaq Dar went on to say that the delegations will speak with their respective leaders and that both parties are being flexible in the negotiations.
Political impasse
It should be remembered that the government promised the Supreme Court that it would hold talks with the opposition about elections in two provinces on April 26.
During the Supreme Court’s last hearing on the polls delays the case, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) assured the court that they would sit with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to try to find a solution on the election date.
In its April 4 judgment, the Supreme Court pronounced the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to postpone elections to the Punjab Assembly until October 8 “unconstitutional” and set May 14 as the new date.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman ‘major hurdle’ in talks with opposition
The National Assembly later passed a resolution rejecting the three-member Supreme Court bench’s verdict on the Punjab polls, stating that it would not provide funds to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for polls.
