The Supreme Court yesterday directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to complete the process of holding local body elections in Punjab and Sindh within four months.
Rejecting the commission’s proposed schedule, the apex court asked the ECP to complete the process in four months instead of 10 months.
“We will issue the final schedule in the first week of August,” Secretary ECP assured the court. He said that ECP would be printing ballot papers for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during this period.
On the other hand, Attorney General proposed May 16 as date for elections of cantonment board.
Justice Jawad Khawaja lamented that ECP had failed to fulfill its obligations regarding LB polls.
Earlier, the apex court had asked the ECP to submit local bodies (LB) election schedule for the Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) and cantonment board areas till 7:45 pm tonight.
The three-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Jawwad S. Khawja comprising Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Justice Maqbool Baqar resumed hearing of two different petitions regarding holding of LB elections in the three provinces, ICT and cantonment board areas.
During the course of proceedings, Justice Khawaja remarked that if satisfied with the schedule, the next hearing would be held
tomorrow (Thursday) or otherwise the court would resume hearing after 8pm tonight.
Justice Jawwad directed that schedule for the elections must be submitted by today as the case could not be further lingered on.
The Attorney General pleaded that it was the ECP’s responsibility and not that of the government to hold polls and requested the court to give 48 hours time as an ordinance was (in the process of) being finalized.
