SC summons Secy Finance, AGP in non-provision of elections funds case

Islamabad: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday directed the finance secretary, State Bank of Pakistan Governor Jameel Ahmad, Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Awan, and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to respond after the non-implementation of its order to release funds for Punjab and KP elections on April 14.

The top court had given the government until April 10 to disburse Rs21 billion in funds to the ECP and instructed the ECP to report back to the court on April 11.

The Supreme Court registrar issued a notice today, summoning the SBP governor, finance secretary, and AGP to appear before the judges' chamber on April 14 at 11am. The court also ordered them to provide details of the money owned by the federal government.

The court's decision was based on the election commission's report, which stated that no funds were released to them as per the Supreme Court's order. The court observed that the government's failure to comply with the order amounts to disobedience.

Earlier, on April 4, a three-member bench of the Supreme Court declared the ECP's order to postpone the Punjab elections till October 8 unconstitutional and announced May 14 as the new date for polls in the province. Following the court's verdict, the Election Commission of Pakistan announced the schedule for elections in Punjab, which will be held on May 14, 2023.

The ECP has also withdrawn its earlier schedule for general elections in Punjab in October. Candidates can file appeals against the decisions of Returning Officers regarding nomination papers until April 10.