Supreme Court orders SBP to 'release' funds for Punjab, KP polls

• SC says officials' presentations show amount can be disbursed "immediately and within a day".
• Bench directs Election Commission must receive Rs21 billion by close of business on April 17.
• State Bank, Finance Division directed to submit compliance reports on April 18.

ISLAMABAD: A three-member bench of the Supreme Court ordered the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Friday to allocate and release Rs21 billion from the funds held with it to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for holding elections to the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies.

The bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar, conducted an in-chamber hearing today regarding the non-implementation of its April 4 order to the federal government to release the funds.

In line with the summons, SBP Deputy Governor Sima Kamil, special secretary finance, additional secretary finance, ECP secretary and AGP Mansoor Usman Awan appeared before the bench.

Sources told Geo News that during the hearing, the judges expressed annoyance over the non-implementation of the court orders and told the government that the orders will have to be implemented.

Officials privy to the hearing said that Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan was asked tough questions regarding the government's stance during the hearing.

"The federal government implemented the April 4 order of the Supreme Court," the AGP told the bench. He added that the government also tabled a bill in the National Assembly for the release of funds from the Federal Consolidated Funds.

"The government cannot ask the SBP to issue the funds after the rejection of the bill from the parliament," AGP Awan said as per sources.

In a written order issued later in the day, the bench observed that according to presentations by central bank and Finance Divison officials, the amount of Rs21 billion required by the ECP could be disbursed "immediately and within a day".

It directed the State Bank to send "appropriate communication" in this regard to the Finance Division immediately, following which the latter would issue instructions to the Accountant General Pakistan Revenues (AGPR) for the release of funds. All this must be done by the end of the business day on April 17, the court instructed.

"The sum of Rs21 billion shall become available to and with the Election Commission in immediately releasable and utilizable funds for the purposes of holding the general elections to the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies."

The apex court directed the State Bank and Finance Division to submit separate reports on April 18 about the order's implementation and the ECP to submit a report confirming that it received the funds.

In its April 4 order, the SC bench had directed the electoral body to hold elections in Punjab on May 14, and the federal government to provide funds amounting to Rs21 billion to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) by April 10.

However, the ECP submitted a report to the apex court on Tuesday stating that the federal government had not provided funds for the polls.