The election commission gave the Pakistan Supreme Court several reasons citing why it cannot hold the elections and highlighted lack of funding (Image: Reuters File)
The ECP submitted a report to the top court where it listed several reasons for not holding the polls and toed the line drawn by the government, calling for simultaneous elections
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) told the nation’s top court that it is yet to receive any funds against the PKR21 billion required to conduct elections to the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies, news agency Dawn said in a report.
The election body submitted a report to the Supreme Court where it pointed to the unavailability of funds for the elections.
The Pakistan Supreme Court directed the government to release PKR 21 billion to hold elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
The ECP also told the court earlier this month that it is not possible for them to hold staggered elections as it would lead to more expenses and said that it was better to hold the entire exercise on a single day.
The ECP also pointed out that the depleted security apparatus would need to be informed weeks before it starts preparing for the elections.
The commission argued that staggering of the polls also increased the risk of poll violence because the losing party in one constituency could create ruckus in another constituency where polling is yet to take place in order to reduce the chances of a possible loss.
They also feared that there would be cases of election rigging and the staggering of elections gives miscreants more chances to plan and commit attacks than the one-day limited window of opportunity.
They also said that the members of the law enforcement and police are currently engaged in intelligence-based operations in Punjab. If they are appointed to the polls, it would compromise electoral activities as terrorists would use this as an opportunity to commit acts of terrorism.
The ECP also emphasised that the polarisation and the lack of consensus among parties to tone down the rhetoric is important because electoral violence can happen due to political polarisation and increase risk to safety of people during polls, the Dawn said in its report.
The ECP drafted a similar report earlier and the Supreme Court bench, including Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar, said it was “impermissible to attempt to reopen issues and questions that already stand finally decided” and maintained that May 14 should be the date for holding elections.
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