Funds for elections still not received, ECP tells court

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) told the court in a letter that they still did not receive the funds to conduct Punjab elections, ARY News reported citing sources.

According to source, the one-page report submitted Supreme Court was signed by the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and other members.

The report mentioned lack of funds and security for conducting elections in Punjab. The ECP informed the top court that they didn’t receive Rs21 billion yet, sources added.

The caretaker government told the ECP that they can provide 75,000 security personnel for the Punjab elections and the commission is still lacking three lac security personnel, sources added.

Sources said that there is no mention of any government institution which the commission contacted for the funds.

Read more: LETTER TO SPEAKER: ECP SUGGESTS AMENDS IN ELECTION LAW

Earlier, the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) suggested amendments in the election law in a letter to the Speaker National Assembly Raja Pervaiz Ashraf.

CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja  suggested amendments in clause 57 (i) and 58 of the Election Act 2017 and approval of these amends in the election law from the parliament.

Secretary Election Commission also written letters to the Secretary Parliamentary Affairs and the Principal Secretary to the PM, Tauqeer Shah, and suggested amendments in clause 57 (i) and 58.