The Federal Cabinet on Monday referred a summary of the finance ministry for provision of funds to hold elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa back to the Parliament for further consideration.
The decision to this effect was taken during a meeting which was presided over Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Last week, the Supreme Court ordered the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to release Rs21 billion by April 17 for elections in two provinces from the Federal Consolidated Fund (FCF) “lying under its control and management”.
The apex court also directed the SBP to effectively communicate this to the finance ministry.
The elections funds’ summary which was referred by the cabinet to the Parliament was prepared by the finance ministry in line with the recommendation of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance which met here earlier in the day with Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh in the chair to discuss the apex court order regarding the release of funds.
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, SBP Governor Jameel Ahmad, Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar, Commerce Minister Naveed Qamar, Auditor General of Pakistan Mohammad Ajmal Gondal and Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Awan attended the meeting of the NA Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue.
According to the press release of the NA, the committee had “unanimously recommended the Finance Division that the matter may be placed before the NA in the form of a bill through the federal cabinet” in order to comply with the orders of the SC.
Minister of State for Finance and Revenue Dr Aisha Ghaus Pasha told the reporters after the committee that both the SBP and the Finance Division had not authority to release funds from the FCF.
