In the elections review case, the federal government and the caretaker government of Punjab have submitted their separate responses to the Supreme Court, declaring that the apex court did not have the authority to announce a date for elections.
They have demanded the review of the court’s April 4 verdict.
The election commission has the constitutional responsibility to conduct free and transparent elections, the responses say.
The Supreme Court has invalidated the authority of the election commission by itself giving a date for polls, the federal government says.
It is feared that the National Assembly elections will be affected if the Punjab polls are held earlier, it further says.
Punjab is the province with the highest number of seats in the National Assembly, the federal government said, suggesting a victory in Punjab determines who will rule in the Centre.
The elections in Punjab should be held at the same time with the National Assembly.
The federal government said the Supreme Court should review its April 4 decision.
The caretaker Punjab government also opposed snap elections in the province. The Supreme Court cannot give a date for holding elections on May 14, it said in its reply.
Announcing the May 14 date is a violation of the constitutional separation of powers, the province says.
After the May 9 incident, the security situation in the province has changed, it claims, adding civil and military properties were damaged after the arrest of Imran Khan.
The response further said 554,000 security personnel will be required for the election in Punjab.
If the elections are held right now, only 77,000 personnel are available, the Punjab government says.
