ECP issues schedule for Punjab PA elections, NA by-polls

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued a notification on Wednesday, announcing the election schedule for the Punjab Assembly, saying that polling would be held on April 30.

The president, on March 3, fixed April 30 for polling, following the issuance of an order by the Supreme Court of Pakistan on March 1 in a suo moto case regarding the delay in holding of elections.

“…the Election Commission of Pakistan, in terms of Article 224 (2) and Article 254 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, read with Section 57 (2) of the Elections Act, 2017, and all the powers enabling it in that behalf, hereby calls upon the electors of the provincial assembly of Punjab constituencies to elect their representatives from each of these constituencies to the general seats and in connection herewith appoints the following dates for various activities of the election,” the notification said.

According to the schedule, candidates will be able to submit nomination papers from March 12 to March 14; the Election Commission will publish the list of candidates on March 15, scrutiny of nomination papers will be carried out till March 22.

According to the ECP, applications against the decisions of returning officers on scrutiny might be filed by March 27, whereas the appellate tribunal will decide the appeals by April 3 and the revised list of candidates will be released on April 4.

Similarly, the last date for withdrawal of nomination and publication of revised list will be on April 5 while election symbols will be issued on April 6, and polling for the Punjab Assembly elections will be held on April 30.

The notification said that the election programme would also apply to the seats reserved for women and non-Muslims in the Punjab Assembly, and the last date for filing of separate list of priority for reserved seats for women and non-Muslims before the returning officer will be March 14.

The ECP also issued the schedule for by-election in six constituencies of the National Assembly, as PTI Chairman Imran Khan retained the Kurram seat. Though he had won from seven NA constituencies, his victory from the last constituency was retained and the commission denotified him from six other seats last month, which are: NA-22 Mardan, NA-24 Charsadda, NA-31 Peshawar, NA-108, NA-118 Nankana and NA-239, Korangi, Karachi. The schedule is the same, which has been issued for the Punjab Assembly polls.

The Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa assemblies were dissolved on January 14 and 18, respectively. Under the law, the elections are to be held within 90 days of the assembly’s dissolution.

On Wednesday last, the SC ruled that the elections to the two provincial legislatures should be held within the stipulated time period of 90 days.

Meanwhile, after having issued the election programme for the Punjab Assembly Wednesday, the Election Commission of Pakistan has summoned interior and finance secretaries for a briefing at 12:30 pm today (Thursday).

A senior official at the election commission told The News that Article 220 makes it mandatory for all the executive authorities to extend cooperation to the ECP about its duties and functions. The Article 220 reads: “It shall be the duty of all executive authorities in the Federation and in the Provinces to assist the Commissioner and the Election Commission in the discharge of their functions.”

He maintained that the Supreme Court of Pakistan in its recent judgment had called for the conduct of elections to the assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa within the stipulated 90 days with the minimum possible delays given any practical difficulty (coming its way).

“After the notification regarding the election programme, the election commission is now focused on having interactions with the relevant authorities to move forward in ensuring smooth, peaceful, and transparent election processes,” he contended.

According to the election commission, the secretaries of both ministries will give a detailed briefing to the commission. During the proceedings, the finance ministry will be asked to provide funds for holding the elections.

Similarly, the interior ministry will be asked to ensure the provision of army, Rangers and other law enforcement agencies personnel for security during the elections.

According to the commission’s Media Coordination and Outreach Wing, the ECP will also call upon the interior ministry to contact the GHQ and the Ministry of Defence to ensure the army’s election duty.

The assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were dissolved on January 14 and 18, respectively. Accordingly, April 14 and April 17 were the last dates for holding general elections to the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies, but after receiving a proposal from the Election Commission to fix the polling date, the two provincial governors had “advised’ the commission to consult the stakeholders before fixing the dates of the elections.

The chief secretaries and inspectors-general of the two provinces, during their meetings with the commission, had explained their shortcomings, like the shortage of police force and non-availability of the army and other forces given security and the threat of terrorism. Similarly, the finance ministry had referred to the financial crisis and expressed its inability to provide additional funds to meet poll-related expenses.

The ECP also summoned the Ministry of Defence and the Directorate of Military Operations for a briefing on security matters related to the elections at 11 am on March 10 (Friday).

Similarly, on Monday, March 13, the caretaker Chief Minister of Punjab, Mohsin Naqvi, Chief Secretary Punjab and IG Punjab, have been summoned to the Election Commission Secretariat here regarding the arrangements and security for the general election of the Provincial Assembly Punjab.