Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court against the Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa caretaker governments, stating that elections in 90 days were a Constitutional requirement. The former information minister filed a petition under Article 184(3) of the Constitution, which sets out the apex court’s original jurisdiction, and empowers it to take notice of matters involving the question of “public importance” with reference to the “enforcement of any of the fundamental rights” of the people. According to the plea, filed through Advocate Khawaja Tariq Rahim, the federal government refused to release funds of Rs21 billion for elections in Punjab and K-P, despite orders from the SC. It maintained that the lack of disbursement was a “violation of the Constitution”. The petition furthered that the Constitution mandated elections within 90 days and barred the extension of the tenure of caretaker governments. It requested the top court to issue orders for fair and transparent elections under Articles 184(3) and 187 of the Constitution. It furthered that the caretaker chief ministers for both Punjab and K-P should be directed to resign immediately and restrained from exercising powers. Read NA bars govt from releasing poll funds The petition added that the affairs of the two provinces should be run under the supervision of the SC on a day-to-day basis until fresh elections are held and new governments take over. Fawad also attached the notification of the caretaker chief ministers’ appointments with the application. Background Earlier, the Supreme Court made it clear that it would not backtrack from its April 4 order to hold the elections in Punjab on May 14 as it summoned the leaders or representatives of all political parties. A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar continued hearing the petition related to the polls in Punjab. The apex court also warned the government of “serious consequences” if it failed to release the funds required for conducting polls in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while hearing the defence ministry’s request.
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