THE Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has informed the Supreme Court that the elections for the Punjab Assembly cannot be held on May 14 due to lack of progress on the logistic arrangements for the purpose. A three-member Bench of the Apex Court, headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, had fixed the date for the polls with specific directives for provision of funds to the tune of Rs 21 billion, as demanded by the ECP, and directions to state institutions to extend cooperation for holding of the elections. However, the Commission, in its three reports to the top court on the issue, pointed out that scheduling of various actions and requirements couldn’t be placed now to meet the timeline.
Unfortunately, the country has been pushed into an unnecessary constitutional and political crisis because of the unwise decision of the PTI to dissolve two assemblies of Punjab and KP, where it had its own governments, which could have completed the constitutionally mandated tenure along with the National Assembly and two other legislatures of Sindh and Balochistan. As the coalition government was in no mood to honour the Constitutional requirement of holding elections within 90 days citing security and financial constraints, the Supreme Court took suo motu action in the matter, which became a bone of contention between the judiciary on the one hand and the executive and parliament on the other. The issue was compounded due to alleged lop-sided approach by the court, which did not hear properly the other side, closed its ears to the consistent demands for the formation of full bench to hear the sensitive case and decided the matter unilaterally, sparking strong reaction from parliament as it saw gross interference in its domain. The court is observing a ceasefire to give chance to the two sides to discuss the issue and find a politically acceptable solution. However, here again, both sides did not demonstrate the level of flexibility that could have taken the process to a fruitful conclusion. It was a matter of concern that neither the government nor the PTI found it appropriate to give a pause to their provocative statements knowing fully well that congenial atmosphere was a must for the success of the dialogue. As PTI Chairman Imran Khan stuck to his previous position that the remaining assemblies must be dissolved by May 14 to hold elections for all assemblies on the same date, some federal ministers and PDM leaders insisted that elections would not be held before October, alleging that the PTI wants to regain power through the ‘judicial establishment’. Now, PTI has also threatened to return to the streets if the Supreme Court decision for holding elections in Punjab was not implemented by the government. Strangely enough, the entire focus of the PTI as well as the Supreme Court is on the Punjab Assembly elections and no one is talking about elections in the KP where too the assembly stands dissolved. This discriminatory approach is also being viewed skeptically by the coalition government. The Supreme Court has yet to issue a new order keeping in view the ground realities but it is a foregone conclusion that any unilateral verdict could spark the kind of reaction that parliament has already given to the earlier judgement. This could take the prevailing tension between state institutions to new heights and no one can predict with certainty what could be the final outcome. As for the threat of the PTI to launch a protest campaign, this could lead to a law and order situation that might be used as an excuse by the government to impose emergency. It is also regrettable that PTI has decided against its participation in the All Parties Conference convened by the ANP claiming it was a PDM show which is not a right proposition for a political party. We have been emphasizing in these columns that there would be not much difference if elections are delayed or advanced for a few weeks provided these are held in a fair and transparent manner. Therefore, instead of adding to the prevailing confusion and uncertainty, all political parties should agree on holding elections on completion of tenure of present assemblies as well as on reforms to make the process free and fair in the true sense of the word.
