Islamabad (Web Desk): The Supreme Court SC) on Thursday resumed hearing on a set of petitions seeking general elections in 90 days following the dissolution of National and provincial assemblies.
A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faiz Isa and comprising Justice Athar Minullah and Justice Aminuddin Khan is hearing the pleas.
The petitions were filed by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and others which sought directives to the ECP to announce polls within the 90-day time period mandated by the Constitution.
In the previous hearing, the top court had issued notices to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the federal government for their input on polls within 90 days.
In his remarks the CJP had said that there were no two opinions that "all of us want elections, but a wrong impression is being created that we are not interested".
At the outset of the hearing, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) counsel Farooq Naek told the court that his party had submitted the request to become a party in the case.
Following this, PTI's lawyer Ali Zafar started his arguments and maintained that polls should be held within 90 days. However, CJP Isa said, “Your request for polls within 90 days has now become ineffective.”
The PTI lawyer insisted that his argument was connected with a fundamental right, to which the CJP asked if the former just wanted elections now. Zafar replied in the affirmative.
“Will anyone oppose it?” Justice Isa asked. In his reply, the PTI counsel said no. The CJP then asked Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan if he had any objections to polls, to which the latter also replied in the negative.
More to follow....
