ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has dismissed all three petitions, seeking to annul the general elections held in May last year.
A three-member bench of the apex court headed by the Chief Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk and comprising Justice Amir Hani Muslim and Justice Ijaz Chaudhry started proceedings of the case on Wednesday.
During the hearing, the Chief Justice remarked how the petitioners will prove that pre-election arrangements were based on ill-intent.
The Chief Justice further stated that the petitions were not maintainable and were only a pile of accusations that could not be considered as record and that it was not the court’s responsibility to launch investigation by considering the allegations as facts.
The apex court had earlier accepted three petitions challenging the 2013 general elections and requesting the court to declare them null and void. The elections were challenged by former Supreme Court Justice (retd) Muhammad Akhtar Siddiqui, former interior minister Mian Zahid Sarfaraz and a citizen Dawood Ghaznavi.
The petitions stated the 2013 elections should be declared null and void due to the faulty magnetic ink used by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and rigging. The petitions called on the apex court to order new elections.
