Plea for holding polls simultaneously: SC summons representatives of all political parties tomorrow

ISLAMABAD (92 News) - The Supreme Court, hearing the Defence Ministry’s request to hold general elections across Pakistan simultaneously, summoned representatives of all political parties on Thursday.

A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar heard the Defence Ministry's plea.

CJP Umar Ata Bandial ruled that the plea is inadmissible. "However, the court can create some space if all political parties come on the same page. We will implement the order to hold the election on May 14 if political parties fail to evolve consensus on the issue," he observed.

The court also warned the government of 'serious consequences' if it failed to release the funds for the polls in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

On Tuesday, the Defence Ministry had filed an application in the SC and requested to recall its April 4 order that had fixed May 14 as the election date for the Punjab Assembly.