ISLAMABAD: Federal Cabinet on Tuesday rejected Supreme Court’s decision to reverse ECP’s decision to delay elections and hold polls in Punjab and KP on 14 May.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a meeting of the federal cabinet members and reviewed the decision of a three-member bench of the Supreme Court regarding the elections. According to media sources, the federal cabinet rejected the Supreme Court’s decision regarding the election. Cabinet decided in the meeting that the decision of the Supreme Court is a minority decision which makes it not feasible.

Earlier, The Supreme Court of Pakistan annulled the Election Commission of Pakistan’s decision of March 22 to delay elections. The Supreme Court restored the election schedule issued by ECP earlier and set the date of May 14 to conduct elections in Punjab.

Much to the joy of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, the three-member bench of the Supreme Court seized with the election date case has declared the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP’s) decision of March 22 as unconstitutional and ordered the ECP to resume the election process from where it was halted with minor changes to the date.

The ECP’s move to push back elections in Punjab by more than five months was challenged by the PTI, which filed a plea with the Supreme Court.

After hearing from all the parties, including the government, the PTI, the ECP, and others, the three-member panel made up of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan, and Justice Munib Akhtar announced the verdict.

The apex court added that the election process was in its fifth stage when the ECP announced its decision, adding that “Constitution and law do not grant the authorities to postpone the poll date.”