On Friday, the Supreme Court will resume its hearing on the delay in announcing the election date for Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The case was taken up by a nine-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, and also comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Athar Minallah. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 11:30am.
The suo motu notice was taken by the top judge after President Dr Arif Alvi unilaterally announced April 9 as the election date in both provinces, following the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) refusal to consult on the matter.
During the previous hearing, the court had issued notices to all stakeholders and asked them to present “skeleton arguments”. Among those issued notices were the Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Shehzad Ata Elahi, the ECP, the government through the cabinet secretary, the chief secretaries of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), all the advocate generals of the provinces, and the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).
During the proceedings, a divide was visible in the larger SC bench, as Justice Mandokhail objected to the suo motu notice and deemed it “not justified”. Meanwhile, Justice Shah and Justice Minallah raised queries regarding the motive behind the dissolutions of assemblies.
The Supreme Court’s intervention in the matter comes after months of political turmoil and uncertainty, with the delay in the announcement of election dates exacerbating the situation. The issue has been a point of contention between the government and the opposition, with the latter accusing the former of attempting to delay the elections for their own benefit.
The Supreme Court’s decision is eagerly awaited by all parties involved, as it is expected to provide much-needed clarity on the matter and set a clear timeline for the elections. The outcome of the hearing will likely have far-reaching implications for the political landscape of Pakistan in the coming months.
