Sources: ECP to announce election date on January 28

Sources: ECP to announce election date on January 28. On Friday, sources said that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), which is responsible for organizing the General Elections of 2024, is likely to set that date for the upcoming polls.

According to the sources, the Electoral Commission of Pakistan (ECP), which has already begun the preparations for the elections, is expected to notify the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) in writing within the next two days of the progress.

As a part of its hearing of a matter regarding the timely holding of elections, the apex court had earlier directed the commission to submit its response.

A few weeks back, in a hearing on the issue of timely elections held by the Pakistan Supreme Court (PSC), Chief Justice (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa commented that it was “impossible” to meet the 90-day deadline for holding elections, and that the petitioners did not do enough to prepare for them.

CJP has made these remarks during a hearing with the Supreme Court Bar Association, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and others requesting elections within the 90-day constitutional limit, which is currently being heard by a three-member bench made up of himself, Justice Athar Minallah, and Justice Amin-Ud-Din Khan.

A SCBA lawyer informed the court on November 3 that the 90-day period would be completed.

Even if the top court gives the order, the lawyer conceded that the elections cannot be held within 90 days, even if it gives the order.

Polls are ambiguous

National Assembly dissolution was announced on August 9 by the Shehbaz Sharif government and Sindh and Balochistan assemblies were also prematurely dissolved to facilitate 90-day elections.

A 60-day election was constitutionally required if the assemblies were dissolved on time.

Days before the dissolution of the assemblies, the Council of Common Interest (CCI) approved the 7th Population and Housing Census 2023, and the ECP decided against holding polls.

In light of the results of the census, the CCI approved the commission’s plans to hold elections following the fresh delimitations that had been made in light of the results of the census.

On August 17, 2015, the ECP announced that the new delimitations would be carried out in accordance with the new census approved by the Central Statistical Commission in accordance with the new census schedule.

It was, however, announced by the commission in September that general elections would take place in the country in the last week of January 2024 as announced by the commission in September.

The Supreme Court has been approached by multiple petitioners opposing the delay in the upcoming elections before the announcement was made.

In their petitions to the Supreme Court, all the petitioners have requested that polls be held within 90 days of the filing of the petition.

The petitions were filed as part of the tenure of former Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial. However, the hearing of these petitions was not scheduled during that time frame.