ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) Thursday dismissed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) plea seeking review of the court’s verdict on holding the Punjab Assembly elections on May 14, 2023, saying the ECP lawyer couldn’t satisfy the court on the subject.
In a unanimous judgment on April 4, the apex court bench had quashed the ECP’s decision to extend the date for polls in the province from April 10 to October 8 and fixed May 14 as the new date.
It had also directed the federal government to release Rs21bn for the polls in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and provide a security plan to the ECP regarding the elections.
However, in reports submitted to the top court in subsequent days, the electoral body said the then ruling coalition was reluctant in releasing the funds.
The ECP was of the view that staggering polls by holding them in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa separately, before elsewhere, was not feasible since it would incur significantly more expenses compared to holding the exercise on one day. It further told the court that an already depleted security apparatus would require weeks in advance for its mobilisation.
On May 3, with less than two weeks to the May 14 election date ordered by the top court, the ECP had filed its plea seeking a review of the court’s April 4 judgment.
