PAK Parliament passes resolution rejecting SC’s Punjab poll verdict, urges PM not to accept it

Pakistan’s Parliament has passed a resolution rejecting the Supreme Court’s decision on the Punjab Assembly elections. The National Assembly on Thursday passed a resolution rejecting the decision of a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court on the delay in the Punjab elections. On 4 April, the top court quashed the ECP’s decision to delay elections in the province from 30 April to 8 October. Terming the move “unconstitutional, without valid authority or jurisdiction”. Yesterday, the Prime Minister at a cabinet meeting called the decision a “travesty of the Constitution and law” and said it cannot be implemented.

The same view was echoed in the National Assembly today, which not only passed a resolution against the Supreme Court’s April 4 decision, but also urged the Prime Minister not to abide by it. The resolution was moved by Balochistan Awami Party MLA Khalid Magasi, who read it out in the House.

The Election Commission of Pakistan had a day earlier announced the holding of assembly elections in the politically crucial Punjab province on May 14 as per the directions given by the Supreme Court. Punjab released a revised schedule for the assembly elections, in line with the Supreme Court’s (SC) directions that the polls be held on May 14 instead of the earlier notified date of October 8. Pakistan’s Supreme Court has called the Election Commission’s decision to postpone elections in Punjab province till October 8 as ‘unconstitutional’. Along with this, the apex court also fixed May 14 as the date for polling in the province.