Pak SC dismisses plea seeking annulment of Feb 8 general elections over allegations of rigging
Islamabad (PTI): Pakistan's Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed as a "publicity stunt" a petition seeking new elections over alleged irregularities in the February 8 polls, clearing the way for the formation of a coalition government to end the political uncertainty in the country.
The apex court also imposed a fine on the petitioner, a former army officer, over his failure to appear before the court.
Retired Brigadier Ali Khan last week urged the apex court to order new elections within 30 days to be held under the direct supervision and oversight of the judiciary "to ensure fairness, transparency and accountability". He had also sought a stay order to stop the formation of a new government till the case was decided.
However, the petitioner failed to attend two consecutive hearings. Subsequently, a three-member bench led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, and comprising of Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Musarrat Hilali, disposed of the plea and imposed a fine of Pakistani Rs 500,000 on the petitioner after being informed that a notice had been served to him appear in the court.
Earlier, the court was informed that Ali was a former Brigadier who had been tried in a court martial in 2012 and dismissed from service. The chief justice read aloud an email sent to the top court by the petitioner, in which he had stated that he was abroad and had requested to withdraw his petition.
Calling it a "publicity stunt", CJP Isa observed that Brig (retd) Ali Khan had stated he could not appear before the court as he was in Bahrain.
"He is a strange person; people buy a return ticket due to it being cheaper but he booked a one-way ticket. It seems that Ali Khan had done a publicity stunt by filing a petition before the Supreme Court," the CJP was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper.
Meanwhile, in a breakthrough that could end the political uncertainty in Pakistan, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan Peoples Party have agreed on a power-sharing deal to form a new coalition government after intense negotiations following a fractured poll verdict.
In a joint news conference late Tuesday night at Zardari House here, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari announced that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif, 72, will assume the role of the prime minister once again. Similarly, PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, 68, will be the joint candidate for the president's office.
The February 8 elections have been controversial with several serious allegations of widespread rigging to alter the results.
A Pakistan high court on Monday suspended the result of three constituencies in the federal capital after the success of the three candidates was challenged. The three losing candidates, who were backed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, had petitioned in the Islamabad High Court, alleging manipulation of the results.
On February 17, former Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chattha alleged that the chief election commissioner and the chief justice were involved in poll-rigging in the recent election as he resigned from his post, taking the "responsibility for all this wrongdoing".
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
