ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court Friday ordered the government to ensure the conduct of general elections on February 8.
The court’s orders came during the hearing of multiple pleas seeking timely elections within 90 days of the dissolution of the assemblies.
Earlier on Tuesday, President Arif Alvi and Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja unanimously agreed on the aforementioned date during a meeting held at the President’s House.
A three-member bench headed by CJP Isa and comprising Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Amin-Ud-Din Khan heard the case.
The court, in its order, mentioned that the notification of the general election date has also been issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), stating that no party has any objection to holding elections on February 8.
Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa asked everyone in the courtroom as well as the Attorney-General for Pakistan, Mansoor Usman Awan, if they had any objection to the election date, but all replied in the negative.
“After all the requirements are fulfilled, the Election Commission should announce the election schedule,” CJP Isa said.
The chief justice said: “Elections will be held on February 8, God willing.”
During the hearing today, which was held in two phases, the chief justice asked the Attorney-General for Pakistan, Mansoor Usman Awan, to get the president’s signature on the minutes of the meeting held with CEC Raja, as the minutes he filed earlier did not bear the president’s signature.
Awan, following the temporary adjournment of the hearing, filed the signed meeting minutes at the court along with three copies as well. The Supreme Court, however, kept the original signed meeting minutes.
The CJP had earlier said that the court didn’t want any kind of suspicion in the matter, as it did not receive anything from the President’s House.
The chief justice insisted that the court doesn’t want to leave any “grey area” and there shouldn’t be any “ambiguity” in this regard.
“Tomorrow, no party should say that they were not involved in the consultation process. If anyone wants to come from the President’s House, we will welcome him,” the chief justice said.
On Thursday, CJP Isa ordered the ECP to consult President Alvi on the matter of finalizing the election date and inform the court.
Following the SC’s directives, CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja called on the president and unanimously agreed to hold general elections in the country on February 8, 2024.
It should be noted that the pleas about the timely conduct of polls were filed by the Supreme Court Bar Association, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and others.
