Pak SC disposes plea seeking annulment of polls

Pakistan's Supreme Court yesterday disposed of a plea seeking the February 8 general elections to be declared void and null after the petitioner failed to attend two consecutive hearings.

In an application filed last week, petitioner Ali Khan had urged the apex court to order new elections within 30 days to be held under the direct supervision and oversight of the judiciary "to ensure fairness, transparency and accountability".

He had also sought a stay order to stop the formation of a new government till the case was decided. During the previous hearing, the apex court had described the filing of the petition and its subsequent withdrawal as something which amounted to abuse of the court process.

"This court will safeguard that such manipulation does not take place," Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa had observed after it emerged that the petitioner failed to appear in the court.

Yesterday, a three-member bench — led by CJP Isa and including Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Musarrat Hilali — resumed hearing the petition. However, the applicant was once again absent from the courtroom.

Subsequently, the SC disposed of the plea and imposed a fine of Rs500,000 on the petitioner.

Meanwhile, the PML-N and the MQM-P have decided to continue mutual reconciliation, support and cooperation towards each other on the federal level, a joint-notification issued after a meeting stated.