The conflict between the government and the judiciary has increased in Pakistan. On Thursday, the Parliament of Pakistan passed a resolution against the Supreme Court’s order on the Punjab elections and demanded that the matter be referred to a full bench.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial on Tuesday fixed May 14 as the date for the Punjab Assembly elections. The top court had cancelled the decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan to postpone this election till 8 October.
A three-member bench led by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial said elections in the province of Punjab should be held on May 14, and that a date for voting in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would be set soon. It instructed government functionaries to cooperate with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and ordered the administration to immediately provide 21 billion rupees to the commission so that elections can be held.
This decision was rejected by the coalition government while expressing anger, while the Election Commission released the revised dates of the elections according to the decision.
The government says that it has the right to postpone the elections and it can hold these assembly elections along with the general elections in August.
However, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party of Imran Khan is pressing for early elections. Its demand is that instead of postponing the Punjab elections, general elections should be held in the country soon after dissolving the Parliament.
