Emergency Meeting in Lahore: Federal Cabinet to Make Significant Decision Regarding Punjab Polls in Pakistan

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will chair an emergency meeting of the federal cabinet on Sunday in Lahore, instead of Islamabad, with most cabinet members participating through a video link. The meeting will discuss whether to release funds for the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for the provincial elections in Punjab on May 14 or to challenge the orders of the Supreme Court. The agenda has not been circulated, but sources suggest that significant decisions may be taken during the meeting, including discussions on the release of funds for the Punjab elections, President Arif Alvi’s decision to return the Supreme Court Bill, and Justice Athar Minallah’s judicial note in the election case. The meeting follows a previous meeting chaired by Sharif in Islamabad, where coalition party leaders ratified the federal cabinet’s rejection of the Supreme Court’s verdict by Parliament.