CJP takes suo motu notice on delay in Punjab & KP elections

CJP takes suo motu notice on delay in Punjab & KP elections. Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial has taken a suo motu notice of the delay in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) polls, forming a larger bench to oversee the issue.

The development comes two days after President Dr Arif Alvi fixed April 9 as the date for elections to the provincial assemblies of Punjab and KP — the move condemned by the government as “unconstitutional and illegal”.

Amid the situation, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) sought guidance from the attorney general of Pakistan (AGP) and other legal experts — but no official announcement has been made so far.

It should be noted that Punjab and KP assemblies were dissolved by the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on January 14 and January 18, respectively. Since then, the political situation in the country has remained volatile as both — the PTI and coalition government — indulged in a tug-of-war over elections.

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The nine-member bench includes:

• Justice Umar Ata Bandial
• Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan
• Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah
• Justice Munib Akhtar
• Justice Yahya Afridi
• Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi
• Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail
• Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar
• Justice Athar Minallah

The apex court, in an official statement released in this regard, stated that the questions referred for the consideration of the bench is so deemed appropriate are, inter alia, as follows:

1. a) Who has the constitutional responsibility and authority for appointing the date for the holding of a general election to a provincial assembly, upon its dissolution in the various situations envisaged by and under the Constitution?
2. b) How and when is this constitutional responsibility to be discharged?