Elections Might Not Be Possible On October 8 Even, ECP Lawyer Tells Supreme Court

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2023-05-25T19:23:49+05:00 News Desk
Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial was apprised today that elections in Punjab may not even take place on Oct 8, the date earlier scheduled for the polls, according to journalist Asad Ali Toor.

The journalist said that the ECP counsel made the remarks as the top judge asked him about the possible polling date.

The lawyer for the commission maintained that after the May 9 mayhem and violence, the electoral body will have to review the security situation of the country again, Toor said in a podcast on Thursday.

The counsel added that Punjab police have reduced the number of personnel that it was to provide to ECP, in view of the attacks on sensitive installations earlier this month.

Earlier today, CJ Bandial remarked that a delay in elections will allow “negative forces” to take control of the country and enable them to “start playing tricks.”

The chief justice expressed these remarks while hearing the plea filed by the ECP to overturn the court's decision to hold elections in Punjab on May 14.

Justices Munib Akhtar and Ijazul Ahsan were also a part of the bench hearing the petitions; it's the same bench that announced the verdict on April 4.

In response to the bench's directive, the electoral watchdog told the apex court that it was unable to hold elections due to security issues and a lack of funding.

On the other hand, Geo News reporter Murtaza Ali Shah reported that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan has filed a petition in the top court for conducting elections.

In his plea, Khan stated that Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif was removed from power by the establishment, and now the party's Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz has found an opportunity.

The journalist added that the former premier's stance on Nawaz Sharif's ouster has changed, and he says so in his own petition.
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