NA once again rejects motion seeking funds for Punjab, KP elections

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly (NA) on Thursday once again rejected a motion seeking a supplementary grant of Rs21 billion for elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), ARY News reported.

According to details, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar presented the motion seeking funds for elections in Punjab and KP following the Supreme Court’s (SC) orders, directing the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to “allocate and release” Rs21 billion.

The meeting of the Lower House of the Parliament – which was chaired by Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf – once again rejected the motion unilaterally.

A day earlier, the federal cabinet approved that the matter for the release of Rs21 billion, initially ordered by the Supreme Court in an April 4 order, be taken to parliament for a second time.

It is pertinent to mention here the Supreme Court (SC) declared the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) March 22 order on Punjab elections null and void.

A three-member bench — comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar — announced the reserved verdict on the PTI’s petition challenging the Election Commission of Pakistan’s order postponing the elections in Punjab and KP.

Read More: Ishaq Dar says cannot violate Constitution by issuing election funds

The Supreme Court declared the ECP’s order postponing the provincial assembly elections until October 8 as “unconstitutional” and ordered the government to release Rs21 billion funds for elections in Punjab by April 10.

The top court directed to conduct Punjab polls on May 14. The SC further directed the caretaker government in Punjab to assist the commission. “The court will issue an appropriate order in case of non-provision of funds,” the verdict read.