The Punjab Assembly general election process has progressed with a designated team from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and Governor Balighur Rehman agreeing to hold a discussion on Tuesday regarding the polling dates. As requested by the ECP, the governor has scheduled a meeting with commission officials at noon in order to discuss the date for the provincial elections.
It has been instructed that the chief secretary and the inspector general of Punjab attend the meeting with relevant records. Sikandar Sultan Raja, Chief Election Commissioner, presided over the meeting to review the Lahore High Court (LHC) order and ensure that it was implemented.
In a letter sent to the governor, the ECP requested a suggestion as to what time would be appropriate for today’s meeting. ECP secretary, Zafar Iqbal Hussain, and Director General of Law, Mohammad Arshad, have been assigned to lead the discussions with the governor.
After the discussions, the designated team will brief the ECP on the talks, and the ECP will decide on the next steps for holding polls. The meeting was convened by the CEC to discuss the holding of the Punjab Assembly elections.
The Punjab governor had earlier declined to set a date due to the “economic situation,” advising the ECP to consult “relevant stakeholders” before announcing a date. However, there have been increased calls for the announcement of the election date, mainly from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and President Arif Alvi. According to Article 224 (2) of the Constitution, President Alvi stressed that an election for an assembly must be held within 90 days of dissolution.
After consulting with the governor on Friday, the LHC ordered the ECP to announce the election date to the Punjab Assembly, in order to ensure that elections are held within 90 days as stipulated in the Constitution. The order was passed allowing petitions from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and others, seeking directions for the governor and ECP to immediately announce the election date since the assembly had been dissolved.
The judgment highlights that Article 105 of the Constitution covers two eventualities; the first one involves the governor dissolving the assembly on the advice of the chief minister, and the second one involves the governor abstaining from exercising his constitutional powers in order to dissolve the assembly.
