NEW DELHI, March 1 – Pakistan’s top court ruled on Wednesday that elections must be held in the provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa within 90 days, ending uncertainty over the acrimonious issue.
The assemblies in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were dissolved in January before their five-year terms as former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party sought fresh mandate in the two provinces it governed to escalate pressure for a nationwide general election.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has been criticised by the PTI for not announcing an election date after the assemblies were dissolved.
The matter led to legal and political wrangling, with President Arif Alvi on Feb 20 ordering the holding of provincial elections on April 9.
A five-member bench of the Pakistan Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, in a 3-2 verdict ruled on Wednesday that elections must be held within 90 days as required by Pakistan’s laws.
