Nearly seven decades after the second chief justice of Pakistan Justice Munir’s infamous “doctrine of necessity” spelt the death warrant for democracy in the country, another judge sitting in Lahore High Court has reminded everyone that the constitution reigns supreme. It might have taken an incredible amount of time for change to trickle in, but the law has, finally, taken its course. Ordering the Election Commission of Pakistan to immediately announce polls in Punjab, Honourable Judge Jawad Hassan has made it known far and wide that no matter what the stakes may be, a spade should always be called a spade: nothing else, nothing more. In the past, the onus of as many as four coups has routinely found its way to the shoulders of individuals like CJ Justice Munir and CJ Anwar ul Haq who wasted no time in standing up to sing the glories of the new king: destroying the legal framework thread by thread. However, historic victories, no matter when they decide to make a grand appearance, tend to create and sustain a new order. With the superior courts ready to spell out the writing on the wall–they fear no one–twice, thrice and as many times as needed for the message to be conveyed to people sitting on the back benches and the state institutions playing their due part in subservience to the law, the ball is, indeed, in the politicians’ court. If Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah is to be believed, the said delay in the electioneering exercise has “nothing” to do with the government. By leading with an example and helping overcome at least some of the obstacles, Islamabad could prove its preference for the functioning of the state machinery over some power moves. That many playing on the pitch and sitting outside the stadium would find it hard to stomach the possibility of staggered elections; quoting the extraordinary implications for the caretaker setup amongst other constraints. But there has never been a greater need for political cohesion and united leadership in a country wading through the quicksand of debt while the Damoclean sword of default inches lower with every passing day. If holding elections to two assemblies before Sindh, Balochistan and National Assembly is believed to give rise to a string of undesirable surprises, why not take a leap of faith and point to the elephant in the room: early elections? *