After immense speculation about the general elections in the country, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced that polls would be held in the last week of January 2024.
In a statement, the commission said it had decided that the initial list for the delimitation of constituencies will be published on September 27. The ECP said it reviewed the progress on the delimitation process and decided that the final list of constituencies will be published on November 30 after hearing the objections and suggestions related to the delimitations. The election watchdog decided to shorten the timeframe after consultation with political parties. The previous date was December 14.
Last week, the Supreme Court returned a petition filed by the PTI seeking an order to force the ECP to adhere to the constitutional scheme, with the objection that it had not specified which question of public importance was being raised that pertained to fundamental rights. The apex court, therefore, did not find sufficient grounds to invoke jurisdiction under Article 184(3) of the Constitution, recommending that the matter be taken up before an ‘appropriate forum’ instead.
It may be recalled that the president, too, recently asked the ECP to seek guidance from the superior judiciary on when elections ought to be held after abdicating his own constitutional authority to set a date for a general election for the National Assembly, which was dissolved by his hand.
It remains to be seen whether the Supreme Court will take up the matter after the objections it has raised on the PTI’s petition. In contrast to his predecessors, the new chief justice seems to hold a comparatively restrictive view regarding the apex court’s jurisdiction under Article 184(3). The announcement of the ECP is a good omen to ensure political and economic stability in the country.
