SBP And ECP Submit SC Reports Regarding The Release Of Funds For Elections In KPK And Punjab

Regarding the release of Rs 21 billion for the elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) submitted their respective reports to the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

The mandates for delivering the assets were given by a three-part SC seat containing Boss Equity of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, Equity Ijaz ul Ahsan, and Equity Munib Akhtar in an April 4 decision.

The Supreme Court had ordered the government to give the ECP Rs 21 billion by April 10 in order to hold elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. On April 11, the ECP was also told to report on whether or not the government followed through with the order.

Nevertheless, the issue was referred to parliament by the government, which defied the court's orders and refused to distribute funds.

The electoral watchdog sealed a report and sent it to the Supreme Court last week. A source with access to the information told us that the one-page report informed the Supreme Court of the government's reluctance to issue the Rs 21 billion required for the purpose. The report's contents are unknown.

The court then ordered the SBP to transfer funds from Account No. worth Rs 21 billion to the elections. 1, an important part of the Government Combined Asset worth Rs 1.39 trillion, and send an "fitting correspondence" with this impact to the money service by April 17.

The central bank distributed the funds on Monday in accordance with the orders of the top court and sought approval from the finance ministry before releasing the sum.

The government must obtain the National Assembly's approval before the amount from the FCF can be released without first receiving approval from the government.

However, on the same day, the coalition government was able to get its own demand for Rs 21 billion as a supplementary grant to the ECP for holding elections in the two provinces rejected by the NA.

After Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar moved the motion on behalf of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar through a supplementary agenda, Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf called for a voice vote.