Federal cabinet undecided on issuing election funds to ECP

ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet has failed to make a decision for issuing funds to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for the Punjab elections, ARY News reported on Sunday.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired an important session of the federal cabinet today. The cabinet members decided to expand the scope of consultations for issuing funds to the ECP for the Punjab elections.

The cabinet members decided to take the matter to the Parliament, sources told ARY News.

“The cabinet members said that there are two different rulings of the Supreme Court (SC) which increased confusion for the federal government. Some members suggested to partially releasing funds to the election commission to avoid facing contempt of court charges,” sources added.

The cabinet decided to take opinion from the Parliament as it is the superior institution besides exhibiting reservations on the SC’s three-member bench’s verdict. The members also agreed on maintaining the supremacy of the Parliament.

Moreover, they also held consultations regarding the judicial reforms bill ahead of the joint session of the Parliament tomorrow. It has been decided that the lawmakers of their concerned parliamentary committee will attend the joint sitting of the Parliament tomorrow.

Sources added that the federal cabinet urged to conduct elections across the country on the same day.