Election funds to be released within couple of days, Finance Sec

No crisis in meeting ECP’s financial needs for holding general elections: Solangi

ISLAMABAD– Finance Secretary Imdad Ullah Bosal assured the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday that the funds allocated for the upcoming general elections would be disbursed within the next couple of days.

Bosal made these remarks while talking to media after meeting the ECP officials in Islamabad. He ensured the release of the necessary funds by the ministry. Referring to the ECP’s letter which was received on Nov 18, he said that the disbursement of funds required approval at various levels within the ministry.

The ECP had summoned the finance secretary over lack of funds provision by the government.

The government had allocated Rs42 billion for the general elections in the current fiscal year’s budget, only Rs10 billion had been provided to the ECP by the Finance Ministry. The remaining funds were yet to be disbursed without any justifiable delay.

Despite repeated requests, there had been no positive response from the Finance Ministry regarding the release of the funds.

In response to this, Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja decided to apprise Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar about the Finance Ministry’s failure to provide the necessary funds.

Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Solangi on Monday ruled out any “crisis on meeting the financial needs of the ECP” in order to hold free, fair and transparent general elections in the country.

“The Cabinet had approved Rs 42 billion for the budgetary needs of the ECP. An amount of Rs 10 billion was already released,” the minister wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

He said the Election Commission of Pakistan had approached to release Rs 17.4 billion, out of the budgeted amount.

“Whatever budgeted amount is needed by the ECP, will be released as per its needs accordingly,” Solangi added.

He said the caretaker government firmly stood behind the ECP in holding free and fair elections as mandated by Article 218(3) of the Constitution.