Islamabad: The federal cabinet has decided to bring up the issue of providing funds for the upcoming elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) to the Parliament.
This decision was made during a cabinet meeting held on Sunday to discuss the current political and constitutional crises in the country.
The Supreme Court had previously ordered the federal government to provide Rs21 billion in funds to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) by April 10, with the ECP required to present a report on the issue by April 11.
The cabinet has opted to debate the matter in Parliament before approving and issuing the funds for the provincial elections, despite the court’s order.
The cabinet also discussed legal consultations and the coalition government’s strategy regarding the Supreme Court’s order for elections in Punjab on May 14. The Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill, 2023, which aims to limit the powers of the Chief Justice of Pakistan, was also discussed, and another federal cabinet meeting has been scheduled for the next day.
The cabinet also approved the decisions made by the National Security Committee in its meeting on Friday, which included launching a comprehensive operation against terrorists.
The coalition government is currently facing off against the judiciary following the Supreme Court’s ruling regarding the Punjab elections, with PTI Chairman Imran Khan claiming that the NSC meeting was called to use national security as a pretext for postponing the elections.
The National Assembly had earlier passed a resolution rejecting the SC verdict and barring the prime minister and federal cabinet from implementing it, while urging the top court to review the rewriting of the Constitution under Article 63-A.
Dar sees polls not being held within 90 days
Earlier on Saturday, finance czar Ishaq Dar addressed a press conference and said he could not see elections being held within 90 days.
Talking about election funds, Dar said the SC decision said the federal government should release Rs21 billion to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Punjab chapter.
President returns SC Bill to clip CJP’s powers
Earlier on Saturday, in a not-surprising move, President returned the Supreme Court bill for revision.
The Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023, which aims to clip the powers of the chief justice of Pakistan, sailed through both houses of parliament, and was sent to the president to be signed into law.
However, the president sent the bill back to parliament for revision under Article 75 of the Constitution.
According to the president, this bill is beyond the jurisdiction of parliament.
The president maintained that the bill can be challenged in court for being ‘colorable legislation’.
