The federal cabinet on Monday approved a summary prepared by the Finance Ministry on funding for elections in Punjab and forwarded the matter to Parliament, stressing that it will accept any decision that achieves consensus among lawmakers.
Last week, the Supreme Court issued a ruling declaring as null and void the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)’s decision to postpone polls in Punjab till Oct. 8 and directed for the elections to be held on May 14. In addition, the judgment directed the government to release to the ECP the Rs. 21 billion it needs for the exercise no later than April 10 (today). Following the verdict, the National Assembly passed a resolution binding the prime minister and government against implementing the court’s orders, saying it was unconstitutional and against the law. The resolution maintained that a “majority” dismissal of the case by four judges had been made into a “minority” judgment, adding that only a decision taken by majority—or through a full court bench—would be acceptable.
On Sunday, a meeting of the federal cabinet discussed in depth the Supreme Court’s ruling on polls in Punjab and decided to refer the matter to Parliament in line with the National Assembly resolution. It further directed Finance Minister Ishaq Dar to prepare a summary for the guidance of Parliament on the release of elections funds, while Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar provided a briefing on the legal and constitutional aspects of the Supreme Court ruling. “The future plan of action will be decided tomorrow,” read an official press release issued after the meeting.
Monday’s cabinet meeting reportedly lasted just a few minutes. Chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the meeting forwarded the finance ministry’s summary to Parliament. Speaking with Geo News, the law minister said the matter would be table in Parliament in the form of a bill—the Election Charge Expenditure Bill, 2023.