The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea seeking the annulment of the results of February 8 general elections after the petitioner, identified as Ali Khan, failed to attend two consecutive hearings.
The petitioner, Ali Khan, had filed a petition urging the court to declare the elections void and null, further requesting the initiation of new elections within 30 days.
These proposed elections were to be conducted under the direct supervision and oversight of the judiciary, aiming to ensure fairness, transparency, and accountability in the electoral process.
A three-member bench, comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, and Justice Musarrat Hilali, presided over the proceedings related to the petition.
The additional attorney general (AAG) informed the court that despite sending notices to Ali’s residence through the defense ministry and dispatching police to the location, the petitioner was not present.
Upon inquiry into the petitioner’s identity, the AAG revealed that Ali Khan was a former brigadier who had previously faced a court martial in 2012.
Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa highlighted that, according to the petitioner’s email, Ali was currently abroad and had expressed a desire to withdraw his plea.
It was noted that Ali had traveled to Bahrain via a connecting flight through Doha and had only booked a one-way ticket.
Chief Justice Isa remarked on the strange nature of Ali Khan’s actions, suggesting that the petitioner may have engaged in a publicity stunt by filing the petition before the Supreme Court.
The court did not permit PTI leader Shaukat Basra to speak on the matter, as he was neither a petitioner nor a counsel in this case.
Subsequently, the three-member bench, reiterating Justice Isa’s earlier comments, dismissed the plea and imposed a fee of Rs500,000 on the petitioner, Ali Khan.
