The Lahore High Court has given the Pakistan Tehrik Insaf the relief it had asked for, and ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan to give an election date for the Punjab and KP Assemblies, the former having been automatically dissolved on January 14 after the CM advised dissolution and the latter being dissolved by the Governor on January 18 when the CM advised dissolution. Neither governor gave a date for fresh elections, which the Constitution orders held within 90 days. Both provinces have installed caretaker CMs, the one in KP being the person chosen by the consultation of the outgoing CM and the Opposition Leader, the one in Punjab after the ECP made a choice after the preceding consultations failed to produce a consensus.
The ECP did not meet on Sunday as it was scheduled to, so as to decide the date, but it will meet again on Monday (today) to discuss the by-elections to the National Assembly on vacated seats, and will take up the LHC order. Meanwhile, the PML(N) has decided not to contest the LHC order, and to let the elections be held. It may have realized that putting off the elections was counterproductive for it, as there seems no development which it hopes will reverse the election result in its favour. Even if it sees a defeat, any development leading to a reduction of the margin of that defeat, will not change the fact of that defeat. At the same time. The dissolutions have set a clock ticking. The election laws specify the number of days the ECP can allot to the various stages of the election process, and that provides for an election programme of 50 days. Elections to the Punjab Assembly must be held by April 18, and the KP Assembly by April 22, if the 90-day deadline is to be met. To allow sufficient time for the election programme, if the last days were given, these days would have to be announced on February 24 and 28 respectively. With only 16 days remaining, returning officers have not been appointed, with the Lahore High Court having turned down the ECP request to make its subordinate judiciary available.
The main arguments being adduced against the elections are the wave of terrorism in KP, and the poor economic situation, with the Finance Ministry already having refused to give the ECP the Rs 61.8 million it asked for. It is another matter that it found the funds needed for the latest additions to the ever-expanding army of SAPMs. If that is to be accepted, what happens to the inevitability of elections supposedly such a distinctive feature of democracy.
