Supreme Court resolves motion to cancel February 21 polling after petitioner fails to appear
The petitioner, Brig (retd) Ali Khan, moved the top court to invalidate the elections scheduled for February 8, but Khan did not appear for the hearing. The Supreme Court voiced its disapproval of Khan’s actions on Monday.
The petition was considered by a three-judge panel that included Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Musarrat Hilali, and Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa.
“Is this a joke? After the petitioner failed to attend up, Justice Isa stated, “File a petition and then do not appear,” and instructed the relevant area police official to notify Khan.
The petitioner was further instructed by the court to be notified by phone by the SC Office and the Registrar’s Office. But, the employees of the supreme court notified the CJP that Khan had turned off his cell phone, making it impossible to follow the order.
“Are these petitions made just to gain notoriety, disclosed to the public in front of the media, and then deleted? However, we will present the petitioner and hear the matter. There will be a hearing on the case.
Then Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar mentioned that there were objections from the Registrar’s Office. “Applications are filed globally; contact the petitioner and speak with the relevant SHO to find out the status of the case. It’s not a jest.
The bench was once more told by the court personnel that despite reaching out to the petitioner’s home, no one responded.
The application was then filed on February 12; however, before to filing, it was published in print and electronic media, the court stated in a written order. The Registrar’s Office also objected to the application, it was stated, but given the significance of the case, the hearing on the application was scheduled with objections.
“The petitioner filed a second motion to withdraw the petition after becoming extremely well-known for doing so. The order stated that no one showed up for today’s court sessions, no one responded to our calls, and a notification was delivered to the residence address listed in the petition but was not received.
It went on to say that even if the petitioner was within his rights to withdraw the petition, by filing the application, he took advantage of the circumstances. The court further stated that it cannot permit such strategies and hence grants the petitioner another opportunity.
Given that the petitioner was an ex-brigadier, the court directed the Ministry of Defence and the relevant SHO to send out the notification.
The case hearing was subsequently postponed to Wednesday, February 21.
Brig (retd) Khan called for a new round of general elections and demanded a statement that the elections held on February 8 were rigged.
He filed a three-page petition for a new constitution under Article 184(3) of the Constitution, but the office of the SC Registrar objected, saying the petition was not maintainable.
I am a dedicated student currently in my seventh semester, pursuing a degree in International Relations. Alongside my academic pursuits, I am actively engaged in the professional field as a content writer at the Rangeinn website.
