The federal cabinet has chosen to discuss in Parliament the allocation of funds to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for conducting elections in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
The decision was made during a cabinet meeting led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which aimed to address the nation’s ongoing political and constitutional crises.
Last week, the Supreme Court ordered the federal government to provide the ECP with Rs21 billion by April 10, with instructions to submit a report by April 11. However, despite the court order, the cabinet deliberated on the issue in Parliament before approving and releasing funds for provincial elections.
The cabinet also considered presenting the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill, 2023, which seeks to limit the Chief Justice of Pakistan’s powers in taking suo motu notice and forming benches independently during a joint parliamentary session for approval, as President Dr. Arif Alvi returned it unsigned for reconsideration.
Additionally, the cabinet approved decisions made by the National Security Committee (NSC) during its Friday meeting. As a result, the NSC launched a comprehensive operation against terrorists, blaming the previous government and the establishment for allowing the banned TTP to regroup.