Islamabad: Pakistan’s top court Wednesday threw out a set of petitions requesting it to declare the 2013 general elections void on account of alleged rigging.
A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk, heard three petitions filed by former judge Mahmood Akhtar Shahid Siddiqui, advocate Kokab Iqbal and former minister Zahid Sarfaraz.
“These petitions are dismissed,” the chief justice said after hearing arguments about the maintainability of the pleas.
The court ruled the petitions were non-maintainable as tribunals were in place to address grievances pertaining to elections in various constituencies.
The court referred to Article 225 of the Constitution on election disputes which says complaints pertaining to elections are to be resolved by the concerned tribunals.
The chief justice observed there is no record on whether last year’s elections were rigged, maintaining allegations are not enough ground to proceed in this matter.
Justice Mulk also objected the fact that petitioners did not name any parliamentarians as party in the petition, as they are the ones who would be affected by the court’s ruling..
The verdict comes against the backdrop of prolonged sit-in protests in Islamabad by two parties over allegations last year’s elections were massively rigged.
Both parties demanded resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and new elections after drastic electoral reforms and reconstitution of the election commission.
Religious scholar Tahirul Qadri’s Pakistan Awami Tehreek ended its sit-in after 70 days, while cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf are still continuing their sit-in, vowing to achieve their objective.
During the hearing, Siddiqui’s counsel said the 2013 elections are a challenge to the “role and constitutional functions of the Supreme Court, and the court has the duty and power under Article 184(3) of the Constitution to come to the rescue of beleaguered citizens of Pakistan.”
