Staff Report
ISLAMABAD : Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday maintained the verdict it had issued to hold elections in Punjab on May 14.
In a three-page verdict, the court stated that the order of April 4 ordering the ECP to hold elections in Punjab on May 14 “remained unchanged”.
The court also shunned the claims that it had directed the PDM-led government and the PTI to hold talks to end the current impasse. “… It was made clear by the court that the talks and negotiations between the two sides were entirely to be their own effort, without any direction or order of the court in this regard in any manner”, read the judgment.
Earlier, the PTI moved the apex court to hold elections in Punjab on May 14 while submitting a report on the negotiations held between the PTI and the PDM-led government on elections. The court would hear the case on May 5.
Hours earlier, the ECP said it would accept the verdict issued by the court regarding elections.
Speaking at the election training event, ECP Secretary Umar Hameed said that the electoral watchdog was facing challenges. He also expressed his determination that the media would not have any problems regarding the coverage of the elections.
On May 3, the PTI and the PDM-led government had, in the third and final round of talks, decided to hold elections on one day across the country but the two sides failed to forge a consensus on the date – the main agenda for the talks. It prompted the PTI to move the court to apprise it of the proceedings on the talks.
Later that day, the ECP filed a review petition against the court’s order of holding snap elections in Punjab, saying appointing the date for the election was not the mandate of superior courts under the constitution.
