The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) have submitted their respective reports to the Supreme Court (SC) regarding the release of Rs21 billion for conducting elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
This comes after a three-member SC bench ordered the government to provide the funds by April 10, and the ECP was to submit a report on government compliance by April 11.
Instead of complying with the order, the government referred the matter to Parliament, which defied the court’s orders and refused to release the funds. Last week, the ECP submitted a report in a sealed envelope, informing the apex court of the government’s reluctance to issue the required funds.
Read: Top Intelligence Officials Meet with Supreme Court Judges on Punjab Election Security
The court then directed the SBP to allocate Rs21 billion for elections from Account No I, a principal component of the Federal Consolidated Fund worth Rs1.39 trillion, and to send an “appropriate communication” to the finance ministry by April 17.
The central bank complied with the orders, allocating the funds and seeking the finance ministry’s approval for release.
However, on the same day, the coalition government managed to have its demand for the provision of Rs21 billion as a supplementary grant to the ECP for holding elections in the two provinces rejected by the National Assembly.
Read: National Assembly Defies Supreme Court, Withholds Election Funds
Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf put the motion before the house for a voice vote following its submission by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar on behalf of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar through a supplementary agenda.
In summary, despite the Supreme Court’s directives, the government referred to releasing Rs21 billion for elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Parliament, which refused to release the funds.
The State Bank of Pakistan allocated the funds after receiving further court directives, but the coalition government saw its demand for a supplementary grant rejected in the National Assembly.
 and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) have submitted their respective reports to the Supreme Court regarding the release of Rs21 billion for elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.){kind=link}