ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has returned a petition filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) seeking nationwide elections within 90 days with objections. The court stated that the PTI failed to approach the relevant forums before coming to the apex court.
The PTI submitted the petition last month, requesting the court to direct President Arif Alvi to set a date for general elections within 90 days of the dissolution of the National Assembly and for the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to issue an election schedule accordingly.
The court registrar noted that the petition did not specify which fundamental right of the petitioner was violated and did not meet the requirements for the court’s intervention under Article 184/3 of the Constitution.
The Supreme Court has received two petitions of this kind, with the first one filed by Abid S. Zubairi, the President of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA). Both petitions challenge the legality of the decision of the Council of Common Interest (CCI) approving the census and raise objections to various notifications and exercises related to the electoral process.
The PTI’s petition also questions Section 57(1) of the Election Act, 2017, regarding the setting of election dates by the ECP, arguing that it may be contrary to several articles of the Constitution.
President Alvi Proposes November 6, 2023, as Election Date
President Arif Alvi suggested a cut-off date for holding polls in accordance with Article 48(5) of the Constitution, which allows the president to appoint an election date not later than 90 days from the dissolution of the National Assembly. The president recommended holding elections by November 6, 2023.
The dissolution of the National Assembly occurred on August 9, 2023, with the Sindh and Balochistan assemblies also dissolving prematurely to facilitate elections within 90 days, as opposed to the standard 60 days if the legislature completed its constitutional tenure. The electoral authority plans to use the 7th Population and Housing Census of 2023 to allocate seats in the National Assembly based on population figures, as per Article 51(5) of the Constitution.
