The Finance Division on Tuesday announced it has released Rs. 17.4 billion to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for the general elections due on Feb. 8, 2024.
In a statement, it said this amount was in addition to the Rs. 10 billion released in July 2023 for the conduct of general elections nationwide, thereby bringing the total provided to the electoral body to Rs. 27.4 billion. “Finance Division remains committed to provision of funds as and when required by the Election Commission of Pakistan,” it added.
A day earlier, a spokesperson for the ECP had claimed the Finance Ministry was delaying the release of funds needed for the conduct of polls, hampering the process. Reportedly, the ECP had sought Rs. 47 billion for the polls from the government, of which Rs. 5 billion was released in the previous fiscal year. The remaining Rs. 42 billion was allocated for elections in the fiscal budget passed in June.
According to local media, the ECP had repeatedly requested the release of the funds but after it had not materialized, the ECP had summoned the finance secretary, who had assured the funds would be released within a day or two. Interim Murtaza Solangi, reacting to the reports, had posted on X, formerly Twitter, that there was no crisis in meeting the ECP’s financial needs.