ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea requesting the annulment of the February 8 general elections after the petitioner failed to attend two consecutive hearings.
The petition, filed by an individual named Ali Khan, urged the court to mandate new elections within 30 days under the direct supervision of the judiciary, aiming to ensure fairness, transparency, and accountability.
During the proceedings, the apex court was informed by the additional attorney general that Ali was a former brigadier. Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Isa read out an email from the petitioner stating his inability to appear before the court due to being in Bahrain.
Commenting on the situation, CJP Isa remarked, “He is a peculiar individual; while people usually purchase return tickets for cost-effectiveness, he booked a one-way ticket. It appears that Ali Khan orchestrated a publicity stunt by filing a petition before the Supreme Court.”
Following this, the three-member bench, which also included Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Musarrat Hilali, dismissed the plea and imposed a fee of Rs. 500,000 on the petitioner.
Meanwhile, a second application has been filed with the Supreme Court against the alleged large-scale rigging during the 2024 general elections.
Citizen Mian Shabbir Ahmed has filed a petition with the Supreme Court’s Lahore registry today. He has mentioned in his petition the chief election commissioner and others as respondents. It contends that widespread rigging occurred throughout the country during the recent general elections.
According to the petition, a government official has publicly acknowledged the rigging, further reinforcing the need for a thorough inquiry and investigation into the matter.
The petitioner’s lawyer has requested that all election-related officials be made part of the investigation, with an inquiry conducted in accordance with legal procedures.
The petition emphasizes that an inquiry into the alleged fraud be conducted in light of upholding the fundamental rights of citizens.
On Monday, the Supreme Court’s principal seat in Islamabad heard an earlier petition filed against the alleged rigging in elections. The petitioner, Brig (retd) Ali Khan, however, did not turn up during the hearing and filed an application to withdraw his petition.
The chief justice of Pakistan ordered the police to find and produce the petitioner, adding that nobody would be allowed to file petitions with the apex court just to get some publicity.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
