Dawn : SC issues notices to parties, AGP during hearing of challenges to Musharraf’s re-election bid

SC issues notices to parties, AGP during hearing of challenges to Musharraf’s re-election bid

October 3, 2007

ISLAMABAD, Oct 3 (Agencies) A larger bench of Supreme Court issued notices to the parties and Attorney General of Pakistan Wednesday during the hearing of three constitutional petitions against validation of President General Pervez Musharraf’s nomination in the presidential election and adjourned the case’s hearing till tomorrow (Thursday).

The apex court’s 8-member larger bench after hearing arguments of Hamid Khan, Justice (R) Wajihuddin’s counsel, Amin Fahim’s lawyer Sardar Latif Khosa and civil society lawyer Dr. Farooq Hassan, observed that many significant constitutional and legal points were raised in the case that need interpretation of Article 41-2, 62, 63, 41-7, 44-2 of the constitution and presidential election rules 1998.

Earlier, Justice Sardar Raza Khan withdrew from the nine-member bench that was due to hear the appeals against Saturday's presidential election.

Khan said that he had already given his opinion on the case when the Supreme Court threw out other opposition appeals against the vote Friday. Khan was one of the three who dissented from that ruling.

“I don't think I should sit on this bench as I have expressed my opinion on this previous case,” Raza told the court. “This case is similar to that case, there is no difference.”

The hearing began nearly two hours later with eight judges. Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry later constituted a new 8-member larger bench headed by Justice Javed Iqbal to hear the case, other members of which include Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, Justice Mohammad Nawaz Abbasi, Justice Faqir Mohammad Khokar, Justice Nasirul Mulk, Justice Raja Fayyaz Ahmed, Justice Syed Jamshed Ali and Justice Ghulam Rabbani.