SC adjourns election rigging case after Imran Khan’s lawyer seeks delay

Hamid Khan stated he was unaware of today’s hearing, requesting the case be postponed.

Hamid Khan the lawyer for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan's lawyer, was caught off guard during the hearing of a case related to the formation of a judicial commission on alleged election rigging.

The case, concerning the alleged manipulation of the 2024 general elections, was scheduled before a seven-member constitutional bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, Express News reported.

However, shortly prior to the case being called, Hamid Khan exited the courtroom, leading to confusion.

Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar remarked that the lawyer should be summoned, as the case had already been listed for hearing.

Hamid Khan later returned and claimed he was unaware of the case being listed for today, suggesting that the hearing was scheduled for December 12 instead.

Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail corrected him, stating that the notice had been issued to his lead counsel, and that he should remain in contact with them to stay updated.

To further clarify, court staff showed Hamid Khan the cause list, confirming that the case was indeed scheduled for today.

In response, the lawyer requested an adjournment, proposing that the hearing be rescheduled to after the winter holidays.

The court granted the request, and the case was postponed until after the winter break.

Election rigging: Three other petitions dismissed

During the same session, the Supreme Court's constitutional bench also dismissed three petitions related to alleged election rigging.

The petitioners, Qayyum Khan, Mahmood Akhtar Naqvi, and Mian Shabbir, failed to appear before the court, leading to the rejection of their cases due to "lack of follow-up."

These petitions, filed earlier this year, had also sought the formation of a judicial commission to probe the alleged rigging in the 2024 elections.

Alleged Rigging: Shir Afzal Marwat's Petition Postponed

The SC constitutional bench has also postponed the hearing of Shir Afzal Marwat's petition until after the winter holidays.

During the hearing, the lawyer informed the court that there were objections from the Registrar regarding their petition, but these objections had not been communicated to them.

The lawyer stated that they would present arguments on merit once the objections were resolved.

The court remarked that a similar petition had been filed by the founder of PTI, Imran Khan. Following this, the court adjourned the hearing of the petition.

It is noteworthy that Shir Afzal Marwat had also filed a request for the formation of a judicial commission to investigate alleged rigging in the general elections.