By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday dismissed a petition that sought to declare the February 8 general elections null and void, and imposed a fine of Rs500,000 on the petitioner, who failed to appear before the court for two consecutive hearings.
The petition, filed by a former brigadier named Ali Khan, alleged that the elections were marred by pre-poll rigging, election fraud, and misconduct, and violated the democratic norms and electoral integrity of the country.
He had asked the court to order new elections within 30 days under the direct supervision and oversight of the judiciary.
The court said the petitioner had no locus standi to challenge the elections and questioned his motives for doing so. The court also found the petitioner’s conduct to be an abuse of the judicial process.
The chief justice of Pakistan, Qazi Faez Isa, said that Khan had filed the petition and then left the country the next day, without informing the court or his counsel.
Justice Isa said. Khan had sent an email to the court from Bahrain, requesting to withdraw his petition, but the court did not accept his request.
“It seems that Ali Khan had done a publicity stunt by filing a petition before the Supreme Court,” Justice Isa remarked, adding that he was a “strange person” who had booked a one-way ticket to Bahrain.
The court also noted that Khan had been tried by a court martial in 2012 but did not disclose the details of his case.
The petition was heard by a three-member bench, also comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Musarrat Hilali, who expressed their displeasure over the petitioner’s absence and his frivolous plea.
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