ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s top judge has taken a suo motu notice of the delay in the elections of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to a notification by the Supreme Court issued Wednesday night, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial has also formed a larger bench to hear the case.
The nine-member bench includes: Justice Umar Ata Bandial; Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan; Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah; Justice Munib Akhtar; Justice Yahya Afridi; Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi; Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail; Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar; and Justice Athar Minallah.
The bench will hear the case tomorrow (Thursday) at 2pm.
While the SC notification reads “it is the government’s responsibility to conduct elections in Punjab and KP according to the Constitution,” the larger bench will assess who is eligible to issue the date for polls, the constitutional responsibility of the federation and provinces, and who will fulfil the constitutional responsibility of conducting elections and when.
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