ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan on Friday submitted in the Supreme Court its report about the unavailability of funds for conducting elections to Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies for third time.
According to apex court sources, the electoral watchdog, in the two-page report, informed the apex court about non-availability of funds for elections in Punjab and KP.
According to the report, the ECP has not received funds from the federal government so far.
The apex court had issued a notice to the ECP secretary in this regard and gave the federal government deadline till April 27 for the provision of polls fund for the third time.
The Supreme Court on Thursday adjourned indefinitely the hearing of the petition seeking simultaneous elections in the country after hearing from all the sides about the prospects of the talks between the government and the opposition.
Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Umar Ata Bandial declared that political parties should sit together and find a solution to the issue, otherwise the court is there to act.
He remarked the court had proposed political dialogue keeping in view the prevailing situation in the country. “The political atmosphere is bitter,” he said.
CJP Bandial remarked the court could not force the government to enter into dialogue with the opposition. “There is a proposal, not an order, to hold talks. For now, the court is not issuing any directive or timeline,” he made it clear.
The top judge observed that there is Constitution and the apex court’s judgement if there would be no outcome of the talks.
Earlier on Wednesday, National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf wrote a letter to CJP Bandial, conveying “profound concerns” of the elected-representatives over recent Supreme Court orders and some comments by judges, terming them an “encroachment” on parliament’s domain.
In his five-page letter, the speaker advised the Supreme Court to “avoid getting involved in the political thicket”, saying that “it is best to leave the resolution of political matters by the parliament and the political parties”.
