In preparation for the upcoming general elections in Islamabad, the Ministry of Finance has disclosed that an additional disbursement of Rs17.4 billion has been allocated to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), as revealed on Tuesday.
This supplementary funding supplements the initial release of Rs10 billion, resulting in a cumulative sum of Rs27.4 billion provided by the ministry to the ECP.
The financial injection is occurring amid uncertainties surrounding the scheduled general elections on February 8, 2024. Despite this allocation, the ECP has encountered challenges, as the finance ministry, despite reminders, has not released the complete budgeted amount of Rs42 billion.
While the Supreme Court has prohibited any discussion about a delay in the elections, it was disclosed a day earlier that the ECP had summoned the finance secretary to inquire about the reasons for the delayed fund release, previously allocated in the budget. ECP officials, speaking anonymously to The Express Tribune, revealed that the finance ministry had failed to release funds for the general elections, leading to the summoning of the finance secretary.
ECP officials emphasized the immediate need for Rs17 billion to conduct the general elections on February 8. Despite repeated requests to the finance ministry for fund release, no positive response had been received. A written letter was sent to the finance ministry, but the commission had not received a favorable response, prompting them to summon the secretary.
As a result, Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja has decided to inform the prime minister about the situation, with sources in the ECP stating that a letter addressing the matter would be written to the prime minister on the same day.
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