The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday issued the schedule for polls in Punjab, in line with a Supreme Court order that had declared it’s postponing of the elections as “illegal,” even as the government continues to reject the apex court’s ruling in the matter.
The revised order, which is an exact copy of the schedule issued by the Supreme Court, was issued in a notification that cited the ruling. The commission stated that candidates had already filed their nomination papers and their scrutiny had been completed before the ECP delayed the polls till Oct. 8. As per the revised schedule, the renewed process would start from appeals against the acceptance or rejection of nomination papers, which can be filed till April 10, while the appellate tribunal would decide all appeals by April 17.
Revised lists of candidates for each constituency would be published on April 18, while candidates would be able to withdraw their nominations by April 19. Election symbols for the contesting candidates would be allotted on April 20, while polling for general seats of the Punjab Assembly would be held on May 14.
The ECP notification was issued after a meeting of the electoral body chaired by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja. However, it remains unclear if the polls would even proceed, as the government has made no secret of its view that the three-member bench who heard the case was “biased” in favor of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). The ECP requires the federal government to provide it with requisite funds and security personnel for the elections.
Observers have noted that the Supreme Court’s issuance of a schedule for the polls infringes on the constitutional mandate of the ECP, adding that it is yet another attempt to “rewrite the Constitution.” The apex court had similarly been accused of “rewriting” the Constitution last year when it ruled that votes of dissidents would not be counted under Article 63A.