By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The ongoing conflict between the government and judiciary in Pakistan has intensified after the Supreme Court ordered the central bank to release funds for provincial snap elections, following the parliament’s denial of the necessary funding.
The three-member Supreme Court bench, comprising Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan, and Justice Munib Akhtar, directed the State Bank of Pakistan to release funds by April 17 to Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
The court order stated, “The sum of Rs21bn shall be and become available to and with the election commission in immediately releasable and utilisable funds for the purposes of holding the general elections to the Punjab and KP assemblies.”
The court further directed the central bank and finance ministry to file a compliance report by Tuesday, stating, “All this must be done at the earliest and at the absolute latest not later than the close of business on Monday.”
Acting central bank governor, Sima Kamil, has confirmed that the required funds to the election commission “could be done within the shortest possible time” if the court ordered it.
The current crisis arose due to the delay in elections for the provincial assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which were dissolved by former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Tahreek-e-Insaf party in January before the expiry of their mandated five-year terms to force early nationwide elections.
The Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led coalition government has been trying to delay the polls with the plea that elections should be held after August 2023 when the current House term ends. Pakistan has historically held the provincial and national elections together.
But the court intervened and ordered snap polls in the most populated Punjab province to be held on May 14 and instructed the government to provide the required funds to the ECP. However, parliament rejected the order, creating new discord between the judiciary and government amid months of political turmoil.
The government has also introduced a bill to limit the powers of the chief justice to take suo-moto notice and to form benches of his choice, putting itself in direct conflict with Chief Justice Bandial. The bill was passed by the National Assembly and Senate, but the court has issued an order directing the government to stop enforcing the new law.
Earlier in the day, the government warned state institutions not to undermine parliament. The lower house has approved a resolution reiterating that parliament has the sole authority, as per the constitution, to approve or disapprove the budget, finance bill, economic measures, and release of resources.
“This house clarifies that parliament has the sole authority as per the constitution to approve or disapprove budget, finance bill, economic measures, and release of resources,” the resolution said. “No institution can snatch away this right of the parliament, nor it can suspend or terminate it.”
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