Imran Khan's PTI kickstarts poll campaign in Punjab province

Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has declared to launch its election campaign in Punjab on Monday (24), despite the uncertainty surrounding the polling date in the crucial province.

Asad Umar, the Secretary General of PTI, tweeted that the party is fully prepared to begin its official election campaign, even if the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition of political parties, led by the ruling party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), is not yet ready.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the elections in Punjab, which sends almost 150 lawmakers to the National Assembly and is the most populous province, PTI has announced the launch of its election campaign.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is awaiting funds from the federal government to conduct the elections, but the government's cash-strapped state has refused to authorise the necessary funds to cover the expenses.

Additionally, the Defence Ministry has informed the ECP that the Pakistan Army will not be available to provide security for the elections.

This situation has led to a standoff between Parliament and the judiciary regarding the holding of elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.

The Supreme Court has issued a directive to the federal government, ordering the release of Rs 21 billion in funds for the ECP by April 10, along with the provision of security for the elections.

However, the government has refused to release funds for the polls, as the Parliament rejected the proposal. In response, the Defence Ministry filed a petition in the Supreme Court, urging it to retract the order for holding polls on May 14.

The case is currently under consideration in the Supreme Court, and Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial stated during the proceedings that the three-member bench would not retract its order for holding polls on May 14.

The ex-prime minister, Khan, has been advocating for early elections in the provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which were previously governed by his party, PTI.

Also, in an attempt to compel the ruling PDM coalition in Islamabad to hold early general elections in the country, the PTI dissolved the assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on January 14 and 18, respectively.

According to media reports, Khan, PTI Chairman personally interviewed all potential party candidates to ensure merit was upheld in awarding party tickets, and the party recently finalised a list of 297 candidates.

However, the PTI's allotment of tickets has caused internal conflict within the party, as several high-profile leaders were left out.

Meanwhile, Geo News has reported that Khan is planning to add the party's Vice Chairman, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, and Umar to the review committee to address objections.

The current term of the National Assembly will end in August of this year, and according to the Constitution, elections must be held within 90 days after the dissolution of the lower house.

Therefore, the election must be held by mid-October. The last general election in Pakistan was held in July 2018.

(With inputs from PTI)