Pakistan apex court disposes plea seeking Feb 8 elections null, void

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's apex court on Wednesday disposed of a plea seeking the February 8 general elections to be declared null and void after the petitioner failed to attend two consecutive hearings, as reported by Dawn.

The petitioner Ali Khan filed an application last week, urging 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 further sought a stay order to stop the formation of a new government till the case was decided.

However, during the previous hearing, the Supreme Court described the filing of the petition and its subsequent withdrawal as something that led to abuse of the court process, according to Dawn.

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

Subsequently, the apex court disposed of the plea and imposed a fine of Rs 500,000 on the petitioner.

Moreover, the petition urged that the SC should order a "thorough and impartial investigation" into the alleged pre-poll rigging, election fraud, and misconduct and hold the responsible ones accountable for undermining the democratic foundations of the nation.

The petition, while putting his "utmost trust and confidence" in the judiciary", pleaded to uphold the principles of justice, equality, and democracy and redress the grievances of people over the alleged subversion of their democratic rights.

It further alleged that the general elections were marred by gross violations of democratic principles, including the denial of a level-playing field to all political parties, particularly the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, according to Dawn.

It added that the imprisonment of PTI founder Imran Khan over "fabricated charges" and the subsequent act of depriving the party of its electoral symbol "severely undermined the democratic process".

The plea moreover stated that the subsequent revelation of widespread rigging and manipulation, which resulted in the "fraudulent" defeat of numerous PTI candidates, further undermined the election's credibility.

Additionally, it said that the petitioner had pleaded that the consolidation of power by political entities with a history of alleged misgovernance, corruption, and incompetence poses a serious threat to democratic governance and national stability, as reported by Dawn.