The three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial and including Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Muneeb Akhtar, will commence the hearing at 12 midday.
ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-May 29th, 2023) The Supreme Court of Pakistan is scheduled to resume the hearing on the review petition filed by the Election Commission (ECP) regarding the court's previous order to hold elections in Punjab on May 14.
The three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial and including Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Muneeb Akhtar, will commence the hearing at 12 midday. During the proceedings, ECP counsel Sujeel Swati will present his arguments, while the Federal and caretaker Punjab governments have already submitted their responses.
The review petition was filed by the ECP on May 3, contesting the Supreme Court's April 4 order. In their 14-page petition, the ECP contended that the judiciary lacks the authority to determine election dates and claimed that the court had disregarded its constitutional jurisdiction. The ECP argued that the Supreme Court's review is necessary to rectify a constitutional violation, asserting that the court had exceeded its boundaries and encroached upon its powers.
In the earlier verdict on April 4, the bench unanimously overturned the ECP's decision to postpone the Punjab elections from April 10 to October 8. Instead, the court set May 14 as the new date for the elections. Furthermore, the court directed the federal government to allocate Rs21 billion for the elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and mandated the provision of a comprehensive security plan for the upcoming elections.
