LAHORE: Former Election Commission of Pakistan Secretary and Adviser to Punjab Chief Minister on Law and Parliamentary Affairs Kunwar Muhammad Dilshad has said Rs58 billion would be spent on the general elections, and Rs17 billion only for security.

Kunwar Muhammad Dilshad said 14,000 candidates were likely to participate in the National and Provincial Assembly elections, who would spend Rs500 billion on their campaigns. 

“If election results are not in the country’s interest, it can be economically dangerous for the country,” he warned, adding that the country could reach bankruptcy due to the issuance and expenditure of such a large amount of funds. “In the situation, if even one political party does not accept election results, then anarchy and confusion will arise, the consequences of which can be serious,” he cautioned.

He said that the Chief of Army Staff was bringing investment of more than $50 billion in Pakistan, but the effort could not yield sufficient results in the circumstances. “Considering all these facts on the ground, the remarks made by former Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial regarding the election were important, that along with the Constitution, the facts on the ground were also very important. The decision to conduct the election under the supervision of the bureaucracy is correct because the judiciary does not hold polls in any country of the world,” he added.