ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court of Pakistan will on Monday (today) take up the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)’s review petition against its order to hold elections in the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar will conduct hearing of the ECP review petition. It was April 4 when the SC bench had ordered to hold Punjab provincial assembly’s election on May 14. It had also directed the federal government to provide Rs21 billion for the elections of the Punjab and KP assemblies by April 10 and make available all the necessary personnel from the Armed Forces, Rangers, Frontier Constabulary for the security and other purposes related to the elections. The federal government has not provided the funds and security personnel to the Commission, and it has also not filed the review petition. The chief justice noted that no one had challenged apex court order to hold elections in the Punjab on May 14. Then, the ECP in its review petition, filed on May 3, contended that framers of the Constitution have given the judicial institution a pivotal role in safeguarding and preserving the Constitution, but have at the same, defined the ambit and scope of judicial intervention under sub-article 2 of the Article 175 of the Constitution. The Commission has asked the Court to recall its impugned judgment dated 04.04.2023, in the interest of justice and equity. It said that the superior courts of the country have been granted a special power under Article 199 and Article 184(3) of the Constitution to judicially review actions / decisions of the public bodies.