ISLAMABAD    -     Following the apex court order to conduct Punjab Assembly elec­tions on May 14, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) yester­day issued notified the elections schedule of the provincial assembly.

According to the new schedule available with this newspaper, polling for elections in Punjab will be held on May 14, 2023. The last date for filing an ap­peal against the decision of the Returning Officer regarding the nomination papers will be April 10.

“The ECP hereby recalls its notification of even number dated March 22, 2023 and in partial modification to this commission’s notification of March 8, 2023 hereby revis­es following stages of elec­tion programme for the con­duct of general elections to the provincial assembly of Punjab,” read the notifica­tion. The election tribunal will decide on the appeals by April 17, and the last date for publishing the new list of candidates will be April 18. The last date for withdrawal of nomination papers will be April 19 and election sym­bols will be allotted to the candidates on April 20.

It may be mentioned here that the federal government has already rejected the apex court decision. The ruling party is also in consultation with legal experts on it, as the government demanded full bench to review the case. The three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pa­kistan (CJP) Umar Ata Ban­dial and comprising Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Ijazul Ahsan had fixed May 14 for the Punjab elections. The ECP earlier had delayed the provincial assembly elections for more than five months, citing the financial constraints and security sit­uation in the country.