Pakistan's SC said it would give its much-awaited judgment on legal challenges to President Pervez Musharraf's re-election in uniform within 12 days.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Supreme Court on Thursday said it would give its much-awaited judgment on legal challenges to President Pervez Musharraf's re-election in uniform within the next 12 days.
An 11-member headed by Justice Javed Iqbal resumed hearing five petitions challenging Musharraf's candidature in the October 6 presidential poll after Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry yesterday declined to head a "full court" to hear the matter.
The 11-member bench had yesterday recommended that the full court or a bench comprising all 18 judges of the Supreme Court, including the Chief Justice, should decide whether Musharraf was eligible to contest the poll without quitting the post of army chief.
Chaudhry, however, declined to constitute the full court or be part of it.
He also said several judges had either given their opinion on the issue or were unavailable to be part of the full court and directed the 11-member bench to hear the matter.
Justice Iqbal today told the court that the bench headed by him would decide on the petitions within 10-12 days, Dawn News channel reported.
Musharraf swept the presidential election, boycotted by the Opposition due to his decision to contest in uniform, but has not been sworn in for a new five-year term as the Supreme Court had directed that the poll result should not be formally notified till it decided on the petitions against the General's re-election.
Among those who filed the petitions taken up by the apex court are PPP leader Makhdoom Amin Fahim and retired judge Wajihuddin Ahmed, who had unsuccessfully contested the presidential poll.
The possibility of the court striking down Musharraf's candidature has sparked speculation that the general, who came to power in 1999 in a bloodless coup, could impose martial law to cling on to power.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sher Afghan Khan Niazi had said the imposition of martial law could not be ruled out if the Supreme Court decides Musharraf's re-election is invalid.
Musharraf had earlier assured the apex court that if re-elected he will take oath as a civilian. However, has kept political circles on tenterhooks by saying that he would decide his future course of action after the apex court gives its ruling.
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