“The real question at hand is what happens next,” The Dawn quoted Chief Justice Bandial as saying. “We have to look at national interest.”
The Supreme Court of Pakistan had taken cognizance of ongoing political crisis in the country on Sunday after Imran advised President Arif Alvi to dissolve the National Assembly and proposed general elections.
However, the court had said it would only ascertain the constitutionality of the steps taken by Suri in the National Assembly. On Tuesday, it had also sought the record of the proceedings of the National Assembly on the no-trust vote against Imran.The top court of Pakistan had also sought the minutes of the recent meeting of the National Security Council which had discussed a letter purportedly showing evidence of the “foreign conspiracy” to oust the PTI-led government.
Ready to hold elections in October
The Election Commission of Pakistan on Thursday also told the Supreme Court that it would be able to hold general elections in October. It said it would need four months to complete the process of delimitation, according to media reports.On Wednesday, the court and President Alvi had asked the poll body to propose dates for the next general elections.
“In a letter dated April 5, 2022 addressed to ECP, the President’s Secretariat asked to propose date(s) for holding general elections within 90 days from the date of dissolution of the National Assembly, i.e., April 3, in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of Pakistan,” the Pakistan President House said in a statement.
“In order to carry out the mandate of the Constitution of announcing the date of general elections, consultation with the Election Commission is required under Section 57(1) of the Elections Act, 2017,” the letter stated.
