After ECP and Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Defense also wants elections on October 8
Ministry of Defense has said in a report submitted to Supreme Court that armed forces will be available for election duty by October
After Ministry of Finance and Election Commission of Pakistan, Ministry of Defense also requested Supreme Court of Pakistan to withdraw order to hold elections in Punjab on May 14. This request has come after the meeting of ISI Chief and MI Chief with Chief Justice of Pakistan. Ministry of Defense has requested the Supreme Court to hold elections on October 8 in its letter. It should be noted that Supreme Court has raised question in all its hearings that what will happen by October 8 so that security situation will not deteriorate.
Ministry of Defense’s letter to the Supreme Court
According to the details, the Ministry of Defense has requested the Supreme Court to hold general elections simultaneously across the country.
The Ministry of Defense is the competent authority to provide security for general elections in the country. In the petition filed in the court, it has been said that the general elections of the national and all the provincial assemblies should be held simultaneously, that is, after the completion of the term of the national and Sindh and Balochistan assemblies.
Analysts say that the interesting thing is that there is no such provision in the constitution of Pakistan.
The petition came hours after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the State Bank and the Ministry of Finance submitted their reports to the Supreme Court.
The Ministry of Defense has said in a report submitted to the Supreme Court that the armed forces will be available for election duty by October.
The report raised most of the same objections raised by the chief of inter-services intelligence, the director general of military operations, and the defense secretary before the chief justice and two other judges during an in-camera briefing on Monday.
Election Commission’s letter to the Supreme Court
Yesterday, the sealed report submitted by the Election Commission of Pakistan to the Supreme Court said that due to the lack of funds and security for the general elections in Punjab, the elections on May 14 are becoming impossible. A letter was written to Ministry of Defense for Pak Army, FC, and Rangers, but no response was given.
The Election Commission has said in its report that the deadline for giving the money for printing the ballot papers has passed, the printing of electoral lists with photographs has already been delayed, we are not responsible if they are not printed on time.
The Election Commission has said in its report that 466,000 security personnel are required for general elections in Punjab, while the caretaker government of Punjab is providing only 81,000 personnel.
The ECP has said in its report that the responsibility of the Election Commission is to ensure the conduct of transparent elections. The decision to hold elections on October 8 was taken keeping in view the facts on the ground. If elections are held before October 8, chaos and anarchy are likely to spread. The Election Commission is not ready to take this responsibility.
Post of State Bank and Ministry of Finance
The State Bank and the Ministry of Finance have stated in the reports submitted to the Supreme Court that funds were not available for elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after the dissolution of the assemblies in January this year.
It is noteworthy that on April 5, the Supreme Court ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan to hold elections in Punjab on May 14. It also directed the federal government to release funds of 21 billion rupees to hold the elections by April 10. was done Meanwhile, Tehreek-e-Insaf approached the court against the delay in the elections.
Now it is to be seen how the Supreme Court responds to this request and what steps can be taken to ensure free and fair elections in the country.
