Pak's PTI challenges objections on plea seeking polls within 90 days

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday challenged the objections raised by the Supreme Court (SC) registrar on a petition seeking nationwide elections in the country within 90 days, Pakistan-based ARY News reported.

As per details, PTI filed an appeal against the objections raised by the registrar of an apex court on a petition seeking general elections in 90 days.

In the appeal, the PTI said that the objections raised by the Supreme Court's registrar's office are of a "judicial nature" and "it cannot raise such objections," according to ARY News report.

PTI said, "The registrar's office should remove the objections and schedule the application for hearing," according to ARY News report. PTI's action comes after the Supreme Court registrar on Thursday returned PTI's plea seeking general elections in 90 days.

The plea was returned as the former ruling alliance did not approach the relevant forums before filing the petition in the Supreme Court. In the plea, the PTI included Pakistan President Arif Alvi as a respondent. However, the registrar said that the head of the state cannot be made part of the petition under Article 248.

The Registrar of the Supreme Court further said, "The petition did not mention which fundamental right of the petitioner was violated. The petition does not meet the requirements seeking the court's intervention under Article 184/3," according to Geo News report. In August, the PTI approached the apex court seeking its directives to hold polls in Pakistan within 90 days of the dissolution of the National Assembly.

The petitioner, who is PTI's Secretary General Omar Ayyub, urged the Supreme Court to direct Pakistan President Alvi to give a date for the elections and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to issue an election schedule accordingly. Ayyub filed the petition under Article 184(3) of the Constitution and requested the court to declare the decision of the Council of Common Interest (CCI) dated August 5, 2023, approving the census as illegal and void ab initio. It was the second petition filed in the Supreme Court, Geo News reported.

Earlier, Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Abid S Zubairi had filed the same petition in the Supreme Court. Zubairi filed the petition through Barrister Ali Zafar, which also requests that the notification by the Bureau of Statistics dated August 8, 2023, be declared illegal, unlawful, and void ab initio.

He also requested the court to declare the exercise proposed to be taken by the ECP, dated August 17, 2023, illegal, unlawful, and void ab initio, Geo News reported. In the petition, the PTI had made the ECP, the federation, Pakistan's Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, the Council of Common Interest (CCI), the chief secretaries of Punjab, Khyber, Sindh, Balochistan, and other respondents.

The PTI also requested the court that the Sindh Governor be asked to announce the date of the polls within 90 days of the dissolution of the Sindh Assembly and the electoral body be asked to issue the election schedule accordingly, and the same for the Balochistan province.