The Pakistan Supreme Court Rules ECP’s Decision to Delay Punjab Assembly Elections Unconstitutional

Pakistan’s Supreme Court has declared the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to delay elections in the Punjab Assembly until October 8, 2023, as unconstitutional. The court ruled that the ECP’s order was null and void and that it had no authority to postpone the election dates. The elections in Punjab will now be held on May 14, 2023, as originally planned. The verdict was announced by a three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, with Justices Munib Akhtar and Ijazul Ahsan in Court Room 1 with heavy security deployed outside. The court directed the election commission to revert to its prior election timetable, asserting that the ECP could not exceed the 90-day legal limit. The court also ordered the caretaker government in Punjab to help the election commission and provide a security plan for the elections. The government was directed to allocate PKR10 billion for Punjab’s election expenses before April 10, 2023, and PKR21 billion in funds by the same date to the ECP. The court also said that the last date for submitting appeals against the returning officer’s decision is April 10, 2023, and that the poll tribunal will make its decision on the appeal on April 17, 2023.