Pakistan’s senate will decide on a host of recommendations related to general election funding as the government faces several political crises – Photo: Senate of Pakistan

Pakistan’s senate faces the deadline for recommendations on allocation of funds for general elections in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provincial assemblies.

The senate house finance committee is tasked with providing the National Assembly with guidelines on the three-page bill which, if passed, aims to disburse 21 billion Pakistani Rupees to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to run the elections.

The Shehbaz Sharif government, on the pretext of economic and security concerns, has expressed reservations about local elections. Pakistan is grappling surging terrorism from the Pakistani Taliban and an economic crisis, and is at risk of defaulting on its foreign debt. This situation is further amplified by the ongoing political conflict between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Delays with the senate committee’s recommendations could exacerbate the political and constitutional crisis in Pakistan. To ensure swift action from the senate, the SCP has warned that it will take action if its orders are not followed, however, it is likely that action from the SCP will only fuel Mr. Khan’s populist rhetoric that the government is using all legal and constitutional means to delay the elections in order to weaken his party.