Acting on the instructions of Supreme Court of Pakistan, Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja and President Dr Arif Alvi deliberated on the matter of upcoming elections at a meeting held at Aiwan-e-Sadr on Thursday and unanimously agreed to hold general elections in the country on February 8, 2024.

“On today’s order of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan, Mr Sikandar Sultan Raja, along with the Attorney General for Pakistan, Mr Mansoor Usman Awan, and four members of the Election Commission of Pakistan, came to meet President Dr Arif Alvi, at Aiwan-e-Sadr, to discuss the date for holding the forthcoming General Elections in the country,” read a statement issued by the Presidency.

It said the president heard about the progress the ECP has made in delimitation and for elections, adding that after a detailed discussion, the meeting unanimously agreed to hold general elections in the country on February 8, 2024.

During the meeting, CEC Raja had officially put forward February 11, 2024, as the proposed date for the upcoming general elections to the presidency.

Attorney General for Pakistan, Mansoor Awan also held meetings with the president and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) officials as instructed by the apex court.

The development comes after a three-member bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice of Pakistan, Qazi Faez Isa, and including Justice Aminuddin Khan and Justice Athar Minallah, directed the attorney general to facilitate a meeting between the Chief Election Commissioner and the President.

The bench also mandated the relevant authorities to submit the final election date to the court on Friday when the hearing resumes.

During the meeting, ECP officials, in accordance with the Supreme Court’s guidance, proposed February 11 as the recommended date for conducting the general elections.

Earlier, a delegation of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) reached the President House to hold consultations with President Alvi regarding the final date for polls.

The meeting came hours after the Supreme Court gave the electoral watchdog until tomorrow to inform it of the date after consulting with the president regarding the matter.

The delegation comprised Chief Election Commissioner Sikander Sultan Raja, and all provincial chiefs, as well as DG law.

Separately, the electoral watchdog also held an emergency meeting in which it discussed the change in circumstances following the apex court’s instructions.

Read SC issues notices to ECP, Federation

According to sources, the ECP huddle discussed the upcoming meeting with the president and the date for polls in the country. The lawyer representing the electoral body in the apex court was also consulted on the stance the ECP will take in court.

Participants of the meeting included the CEC, secretary ECP, the legal team and others.

Final date

Earlier today, the SC directed the ECP to confer with the president and finalise election date after electoral body proposed February 11 as polling day.

It further directed the ECP to consult with the president today, instructed the attorney general of Pakistan to facilitate the meeting and directed the relevant bodies to submit the final date in court tomorrow (Friday).

The announcement of the finalised date for general elections will be made from the apex court, remarked Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa.

A three-member bench led by CJP Isa and comprising Justice Aminuddin Khan and Justice Athar Minallah resumed hearing on pleas moved by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Ibadur Rehman Lodhi seeking elections within the 90-day time period after the dissolution of the national and provincial assemblies.