ISLAMABAD: The Ele­c­tion Commis­sion of Pakistan (ECP) is set to propose dates for general elections to the Punjab Assembly, with a minimum possible delay, today (on Thursday).

The commission, which met here on Wednesday with Chief Election Com­missioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja in the chair hours after the Supreme Court’s verdict on polls to Punjab and KP assemblies, decided to meet again on Thursday to come up with the possible dates.

A senior official said under the directions of the apex court, a letter proposing dates for elections to the Punjab Assembly — to be finalised on March 2 — would be sent to President Dr Arif Alvi.

However, he said, it would not be possible to hold the elections within the constitutional deadline of 90 days expiring on April 13, even if the schedule was announced within next 24 hours. The official explained that the law provides for an election schedule requiring 54 to 56 days for different stages of elections, starting from the issuance of an election programme for submission of nomination papers, scrutiny of nominations, appeals against acceptance or rejection of nomination papers, and publication of a final list of contesting candidates and announcement of results.

Political parties asked to apply for election symbols within a week

Also, he said, a request was coming from political and religious quarters that the general elections shou­­ld not be held during the holy month of Ramazan.

The official referred to Article 254 of the Constitution, which reads “When any act or thing is required by the Constitu­tion to be done within a particular period and it is not done within that per­iod, the doing of the act or thing shall not be invalid or otherwise ineffective by reason only that it was not done within that period”.

He said under Section 58 of the Elections Act, the commission may, at any time after the issuance of the notification make such alterations in the election programme for the different stages of the election or may issue a fresh election programme as may, in its opinion to be recorded in writing, be necessary “provided that the Commission shall inform the President about any alteration in the election programme made under this sub-section”.

Apply for symbols by 8th

In a related development the ECP drew attention of all political parties towards Section-216 of the Elections Act, 2017, asking them to submit, in person or through authorised representative, applications for allotment of election symbol for upcoming general elections of provincial assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa latest by the extended date of March 8, 2023.

The commission will also hear a case on March 14 on the conduct of intra-party election of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz for which notices have been issued to party president Shehbaz Sharif and secretary general Ahsan Iqbal.

On January 11, the ECP had given yet another last chance to the PML-N to hold intra-party elections — giving the ruling party more than two months.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2023