Pakistan's general elections are scheduled for February 11, the election commission announced to the Supreme Court on Thursday, ending the months-long uncertainty surrounding the results.
The Attorney for the Election Commission of Pakistan, Sajeel Swati, stated that the process of creating constituencies would be finished by January 29th, opening the door for voting.
The Attorney made this statement as the Supreme Court began deliberations on a series of petitions requesting that elections be held no later than ninety days following the dissolution of the National Assembly and the provincial legislatures. On August 9, Pakistan's President Arif Alvi dissolved the National Assembly.
The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and other parties filed pleas before a three-judge bench made up of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, and Justice Athar Minallah, reported the local news.
The declaration is made concurrently with the start of discussions between Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over the disbursement of a USD 3 billion loan, which amounts to USD 710 million in its second tranche, to the financially crippled nation in an attempt to stabilise its heavily indebted economy. The Pakistani Ministry of Finance will have more negotiating power if the election date is set, even if the IMF has not said as much.