Pakistan's Defence ministry approaches SC for elections at same time

Islamabad: The Ministry of Defence in Pakistan has approached the Supreme Court to request that general elections be held simultaneously across the country.

The Ministry filed a petition to the court asking for an earlier order to be recalled, and instead for a directive to be issued that the general elections for the National and provincial assemblies should take place at the same time, after the completion of their terms.

The Supreme Court had previously ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan to hold elections in Punjab on May 14th, and for the federal government to allocate funds for this purpose.

However, the government failed to comply, leading to the ECP informing the court that they had not received the necessary funds.

The issue of allocating funds for the elections became more complicated after the NA Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue recommended non-provision of funds for the ECP, which was subsequently approved by the federal cabinet.

The Ministry of Defence also informed the ECP that the army would not be available for election duty due to ongoing security concerns.