The Chief Justice of Pakistan, Umar Ata Bandial, has stated that it will not be possible to hold elections uniformly across the country, despite the Ministry of Defence’s petition seeking to do so. The Supreme Court, headed by a three-member bench, of which Bandial is a part, recently directed the Election Commission of Pakistan to hold elections in Punjab on May 14, but the Ministry of Defence petitioned for elections across the country to take place on the same day, which was denied. Two further pleas were filed to the same effect, but the court is hearing all pleas together. During the hearing, Bandial questioned whether the government had given the job of the executive to the Parliament and hoped that the government would respond positively to the provision of funds for the constitutional process. Bandial also noted that polls have been held in the past despite the presence of terrorism, leading him to question the Election Commission’s stance on this issue. The Attorney General for Pakistan informed the bench that all-out efforts were being made so that specified targets were met during security operations, but Justice Akhtar responded that the assembly had been dissolved last year and that the court had to take notice in order to restore the lower house.
