ISLAMABAD: A petition requesting the Supreme Court of Pakistan to order the holding of elections on the same day across the country will be heard by a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial on Friday.
A citizen, Sardar Kashif Khan, has filed a petition in the Supreme Court requesting that the upcoming general elections for the National Assembly and all four provincial assemblies be held simultaneously rather than piecemeal.
The petition named the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the federal government, and major political parties as respondents.
The petitioner argued that holding elections on the same day across the country under caretaker setups would ensure that they are conducted honestly, fairly, and in accordance with the law.
Moreover, it would save billions of rupees and allow law enforcement agencies to focus on improving the country’s law and order situation instead of being preoccupied with election-related duties.
The petition further contended that having elected governments in power in the provinces. The petition also pointed out that the difference in the date previously ordered by the supreme court for holding elections in Punjab and the one suggested by the federal government in October was just a few months, so there was no harm or delay.
The petition states that it would be in the interests of justice and equity and fulfilment of the constitutional imperatives if the general elections of the National Assembly (NA) and all four provincial assemblies were held together. It urged the parliament to pass a constitutional amendment to address the issues of delaying the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) polls.
Supreme Court for talks to build consensus
The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led federal government and the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) held three rounds of talks on the directives of the apex court to try and build a consensus on a date for the elections. Both parties agreed to hold elections on the same day across Pakistan but failed to evolve a consensus on the date of the polls.
The PTI submitted a report to the Supreme Court (SC) on negotiations with the PDM government, requesting the top court to ensure implementation of its April 4 judgment regarding holding elections to the Punjab Assembly on May 14.
The three-judge bench of the supreme court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan, will hear the plea on May 6, 2023.
