The Acting Governor of the State Bank has announced that Rs. 21 billion have been allocated for elections in Punjab in accordance with the Supreme Court’s order.
The Acting Governor of the State Bank, Sima Kamil, stated that funds have been allocated for the elections, but these funds belong to the government of Pakistan. The funds will remain in the account after allocation.
The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Finance, chaired by Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh, held a meeting in which the Attorney General, Minister of State for Finance, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Finance, and officials from the Ministry of Finance and Acting Governor of the State Bank also participated. Consultations were held regarding providing funds to the Election Commission in light of the court order.
During the meeting, the Law Minister said that the Ministry of Finance had requested Rs. 21 billion. The use of each penny of the Consolidated Fund is at the discretion of the federal government. Funds were not allocated for elections in the annual budget. The Ministry of Finance presented a bill for charged expenditures, which was rejected by the National Assembly and Senate Standing Committees on Finance.
