The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday ended—for now—an impasse between the government and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) over general elections in Punjab, declaring they would take place on May 14, and not Oct. 8 as earlier announced by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). The ECP’s postponing of polls cited briefings from the defense and finance ministries, which said the prevailing security situation and economic crunch prevented the conduct of elections in a free, fair and transparent manner. Despite the court’s rubbishing of these views, it is undeniable that Pakistan today is virtually broke and is once again in the midst of a brutal resurgence of terrorism.
Last year, the ECP had estimated that it would need Rs. 47 billion for the 2023 general elections, before revising this figure upward by Rs. 15 billion to Rs. 61 billion due to by-elections on vacant seats of various assemblies. The government rejected the request for the additional supplementary grant of Rs. 15 billion, citing financial constraints, but even at the originally approved budget, the 2023 elections are proving to be the most expensive in Pakistan’s history. Data from the Finance Ministry shows that the government spent Rs. 22/voter in 2008, against the Rs. 385/voter required in 2023 (this climbs to Rs. 508/voter if the requested Rs. 15 billion grant is also released).
Unfortunately, the court did not examine the budgetary constraints, going so far as to advise the ECP to utilize available funds for polls in Punjab while deferring the matter of polls in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, which are also in violation of the constitutional deadline of 90 days. The three-member bench—comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial and Justices Ijazul Ahsan and Munib Akhtar—that announced the verdict has, as a result, been accused of bias by the ruling coalition led by the Pakistan Democratic Movement, which has refused to accept the legitimacy of its judgment. This has set off a new constitutional crisis, with the country’s legislature facing off against its judiciary.
The polarization witnessed in society has also apparently secured a foothold in the Supreme Court, with two clear camps emerging between judges who were elevated out-of-turn and those who were elevated on the basis of seniority. Both the PDM and the PTI are clearly trying to capitalize on this rift, furthering the divisions at a time when what the country needs most is unity. Unfortunately, Pakistan now is broke not only economically, but also politically, leaving it in the midst of multiple crises that have no end in sight.