A petition was moved in the Supreme Court (SC) Lahore Registry on Tuesday seeking investigation into the alleged rigging in the recently-held general elections in the country.  The application was filed on behalf of citizen Mian Shabbir Ismail. The federal government, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the chief secretaries of the four provinces were made respondents in the petition. The applicant requested the apex court to clear the dust regarding rigging allegations and reveal the facts. It may be mentioned here that a similar kind of petition was first submitted at the apex court in Islamabad. Despite the fact that the mover seeking annulment of the general elections due to complaints of rigging, withdrew his petition on Monday, but Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Qazi Faez Isa insisted he would still hear the case.

“Bring the petitioner back. Dial the cellphone number he has given on his application. We will hear the plea,” the CJP ordered the SHO of the concerned police station after the petitioner did not show up in court.   A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by the CJP, and comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Musarrat Halali, had been constituted to hear the petition filed by a retired brigadier, Ali Khan. Calling withdrawal of the petition a ‘joke’, CJP Isa remarked that he would not allow this to happen again. “Do these people file petitions just for the sake of publicity,” he said.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)