Pak Cabinet decides to take up election funds matter in Parliament

Islamabad [Pakistan], April 9 : The federal cabinet of Pakistan has decided to take up the matter of providing funds to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in Parliament for holding Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa elections, The Tribune reported.

The decision was taken after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a cabinet meeting on Sunday to deal with the current political and constitutional crises in the country.

The Supreme Court last week directed the federal government to provide PKR 21 billion in funds by April 10 to the ECP, directing the electoral body to present a report on the issue by April 11, The Tribune reported.

The verdict also said that the Supreme Court will issue instructions to the authorities concerned in case the funds are not provided.

Despite the court's order, the federal cabinet instead opted for debating the matter in Parliament before approving and issuing funds for the provincial elections, Tribune wrote quoting sources.

The huddle also held legal consultations and discussed the coalition government's strategy in view of the Supreme Court's April 4 verdict ordering elections in Punjab on May 14.

The cabinet also deliberated on tabling the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill, 2023, which aims to curtail the powers of the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take suo motu notice and constitute benches on his own, in the joint session of Parliament for approval as President Arif Alvi has returned it for reconsideration without signing it, The Tribune reported.

In this regard, the prime minister has summoned another federal cabinet meeting Monday at 10 am at the Parliament House in Islamabad.

Moreover, the federal cabinet also approved the decisions taken by the National Security Committee (NSC) in its meeting on Friday.

The high-level huddle had decided to launch a comprehensive operation against terrorists, as the country's civil and military leadership virtually issued a charge sheet against the previous government and the establishment for allowing the banned TTP to regroup, The Tribune reported.

The federal cabinet meeting took place as the coalition government faces off with the judiciary following the Supreme Court's ruling that directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold elections in Punjab on May 14.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has claimed that the PDM coalition government called the NSC meeting in an attempt to use national security as a pretext for the postponement of elections.

He said that the government brought in an "unconstitutional bill" on the apex court, and a National Assembly resolution against the judiciary.

Earlier, the National Assembly had passed a resolution declaring that parliament rejected the SC verdict regarding the election in Punjab, The Tribune reported.

The lawmakers, in the resolution, had also barred the prime minister and the federal cabinet from implementing the decision while urging the top court to form a full court to review the "rewriting" of the Constitution under Article 63-A.

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