Cabinet decides to take up ECP funds for Punjab Poll issue in Parliament

An important meeting of the federal cabinet under the chair of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ended without taking a final decision on the issue of providing funds to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for scheduled Punjab polls on May 14.
According to the 24News HD TV channel, the PM has called the federal cabinet meeting again at the Parliament House on Monday to take a final decision on the key issues.
The sources said the cabinet members mulled over getting the judiciary reforms bill approved by the joint session of parliament. 
The sources said the cabinet agreed to take up the matter of giving the funds to the ECP for Punjab and KP elections or not in the Parliament as it is a proper forum to discuss it.

The Cabinet unanimously directed the Finance Ministry to prepare a summary in consultation with the Law Ministry to seek guidance from the Parliament in this matter and present it in the Cabinet meeting tomorrow.
The sources said the meeting of the Federal Cabinet has been convened at the Parliament House at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning (Monday).

The federal cabinet meeting continued for a long time but ended without making any decision on the key issues, the sources said.

Yesterday, President Dr Arif Alvi returned the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill, 2023, aimed at curtailing the Chief Justice of Pakistan's powers for reconsideration to the Parliament.

The meeting in which most of the cabinet members are taking part via video link will also endorse the decision of the National Security Committee (NSC).

Federal Minister Riaz Pirzada, Housing Minister Maulana Abdul Wasey, State Minister for Energy Hashim Notezai, Sajid Toori and PM Advisor Amir Muqam are participating in the meeting from the PM House. 

Federal ministers Ayaz Sadiq, Khawaja Saad Rafiq and others are taking part in the conclave from Model Town, Lahore. 

Prime Minister Shehbaz is presiding over the huddle through a video link. 

Sources said that the government’s legal team is also participating in the cabinet meeting. 

In the meeting, consultation on legal issues will be held and a strategy regarding the Supreme Court decision will be deliberated upon.

There will also be a discussion on the return of the Judicial Reforms Bill and its approval by the joint session of the Parliament which will be held tomorrow (Monday). 

Important decisions regarding polls to Punjab Assembly are likely to be taken in the meeting.

The Supreme Court has ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan to conduct election in Punjab on May 14 and also asked the government to provide Rs21 billion for the polls to the ECP by April 10.

During his presser yesterday, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said that it didn’t seem that elections were going to be held within 90 days. 

He said the crisis had been compounded by the April 4 Supreme Court order striking down the government’s plans to delay elections to Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies.

Reporter Awais Kiyani