Pak: SC rejects withdrawal, orders plaintiff’s presence in plea seeking 2024 election annulment

Islamabad [Pakistan], February 19 (ANI): The Pakistan Supreme Court (SC) on Monday rejected the withdrawal of a plea seeking the annulment of the 2024 elections and directed the police to present the plaintiff, Ali Khan, before the three-member bench, ARY News reported.

The SC presided over by CJP Justice Qazi Faez Isa, along with Justices Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Musarrat Hilali, took up the plea filed by Ali Khan, aiming to declare the general elections of February 8 as void.

At the start of the hearing, the plaintiff’s lawyer conveyed the client’s desire to withdraw the plea. In response, Justice Isa remarked, “Such a prank cannot be played on the Supreme Court. Bring the petitioner from wherever and present him before the court,” as reported by ARY News.

CJP Qazi Faez Isa additionally ordered the SHO of the plaintiff’s jurisdiction to present Ali Khan before the court.

The subsequent hearing on the plea has been adjourned until February 21, with a notice issued to the plaintiff through the defence ministry.

The plea, brought by a private petitioner, urged the top court to declare the February 8 general elections null and void, citing alleged violations of electoral integrity and democratic norms. The petitioner appealed to the court to order new elections within 30 days, under the direct supervision of the judiciary, ensuring fairness, transparency, and accountability in the electoral process.

The SC’s decision to reject the withdrawal underscores the gravity of the petitioner’s concerns and sets the stage for further examination of the alleged irregularities in the electoral proceedings, ARY News reported.

Meanwhile, uncertainty prevailed in Pakistan after PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari revealed on Sunday that he has rejected a power-sharing formula wherein the prime minister’s office would be shared between two parties and declared that former president Asif Ali Zardari would be the PPP’s candidate for president.

Reacting to PPP chairman’s remarks, PML-N leader Ishaq Dar said the plan to form a government with PPP and MQM-P was “still on” as he pointed out that there was no other choice available to them.