PML-N leader asks apex court to reschedule presidential poll

Pakistan's Supreme Court will tomorrow hear a petition filed by a senior PML-N leader seeking the holding of the presidential poll ahead of the scheduled date of August 6.
A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry will hear the petition filed by Raja Zafar-ul-Haq, a close aide of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Haq filed a constitutional petition that asked the Supreme Court to direct the Election Commission to change the date for the presidential election from August 6 to July 30.
He said in the petition that the poll should be rescheduled as a large number of parliamentarians and legislators, who are part of the electoral college, would not be able to vote as they would travel to Saudi Arabia for religious rituals associated with the holy month of Ramzan.

Besides, a large number of parliamentarians would be in their hometowns for Ramzan and Eid-ul-Fitr and may not be able to participate in the poll, Haq contended.
Haq, the chairman of the PML-N, named the Election Commission, the Chief Election Commissioner and the federal government as respondents in his petition.

He said the government had requested the Election Commission to reschedule the presidential election but the poll panel had declined to change the schedule.
Tomorrow is the last day for filing nominations for the presidential election.
President Asif Ali Zardari has announced that he will not seek a second term and the ruling PML-N's candidate is expected to win the election.