The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) has dismissed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) review petition challenging the ruling on intra-party elections.
According to the 24NewsHD TV channel, the court also rejected PTI’s request for the formation of a larger bench to hear the case on Monday. A three-judge bench, including Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, heard the case.
During the proceedings, the Chief Justice addressed PTI’s senior counsel, Hamid Khan, saying that PTI had failed to identify any errors in the previous judgement.
The CJP remarked, “If you have arguments, present them; otherwise, we will dictate the order." He also said that he prefers face-to-face discussions rather than those on television.
In response, Hamid Khan expressed his inability to argue before a judge whom he considered biased against his party.
The Chief Justice clarified that a review case only involves pointing out flaws in the original decision and stated that the petition did not address any such concerns.
Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar highlighted that the Election Act stipulates consequences for political parties that fail to hold intra-party elections, including the potential loss of their electoral symbol. "This applies to all political parties equally," he said.
Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa concluded by emphasising that intra-party elections are the foundation of democracy.
Reporter: Amanat Gishkori