SC dismissed petition to annul elections, imposes fine on petitioner

Islamabad: The Supreme Court Wednesday while dismissing the petition related to annulment of general elections held on February 8 in the country, also imposed a fine of Rs500,000 on the petitioner Brigadier (Rtd) Ali Khan for non-appearance.

According to the details, a three-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa compirisng Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Musrat Hilali heard the case.

Petitioner Ali Khan did not appear in the court even on the first hearing of this case on February 19. The chief justice expressed his displeasure at the non-attendance and ordered the Station House Officer (SHO) of the concerned police station to arrest the petitioner and produce him in the court. The registrar's office was also asked to contact the petitioner.

At the beginning of the hearing today, the Additional Attorney General told the court that the police also went to Ali Khan's house and sent a notice through the Ministry of Defense. He is not at home, so the notice has been pasted on his gate.

On the Chief Justice's inquiry, the Additional Attorney General said that he is a former Brigadier who was court martialed in 2012.

The Supreme Court, while rejecting the petition to declare the elections null and void, imposed a fine of Rs0.5 million on the petitioner Ali Khan.

It is pertinent to note that the address of the house written by the petitioner Brigadier Ali Khan in his application is that of Defense Housing Authority (DHA) Islamabad.

According to Colonel Retired Inam-ul-Rahim, a lawyer who prosecutes cases of enforced disappearances, the petitioner faced a court-martial for inciting a mutiny in the army and usurping power, in which he was also convicted.