ECP and SBP Submit Reports to Supreme Court Regarding Release of Funds for Elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Despite Government's Reluctance to Provide Funding and National Assembly's Rejection of Supplementary Grant Request

Both the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Tuesday submitted their respective reports to the Supreme Court (SC) pertaining to the release of Rs21 billion for polls in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Directives from the Supreme Court

In an April 4 verdict, a three-member SC bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar had ordered the government to provide Rs21bn to the ECP to conduct elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by April 10.

Reports submitted by ECP and SBP

On April 11, the ECP was directed to provide a report on whether or not the government complied with the order. Last week, the electoral watchdog had submitted a report to the Supreme Court in a sealed envelope, which informed the apex court about the government’s reluctance to issue the Rs21bn needed for the purpose. On the other hand, the SBP submitted a report to the court on Tuesday, regarding the release of funds.

Court orders SBP to release funds

Subsequently, the court had directed the SBP to release funds worth Rs21bn for elections from Account No I — a principal component of the Federal Consolidated Fund worth Rs1.39 trillion — and send an “appropriate communication” to this effect to the finance ministry by April 17.

Government's reluctance to release funds

However, the government referred the matter to Parliament which defied the court’s orders and refused to issue the funds. The same day the funds were to be released, the coalition government managed through the National Assembly to reject its own demand for provision of Rs21bn as a supplementary grant to the ECP for holding polls in the two provinces.

Government approval required to release funds

An approval of the government is required to release the amount from the Federal Consolidated Fund, while the government has to get the National Assembly’s approval for its release.

Conclusion

The reports submitted by the ECP and the SBP to the Supreme Court shed light on the government's reluctance to release funds for the polls in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Despite the court's orders, the National Assembly rejected the demand for the provision of Rs21bn as a supplementary grant to the ECP. The matter remains unresolved, and it remains to be seen how the Supreme Court will proceed.