ISLAMABAD: Advocate Riaz Hanif Rahi on Saturday filed a writ petition in Supreme Court seeking orders to declare National Judicial (Policy Making) Committee Ordinance 2002 void.
He also requested the court to declare May 2013 General Elections null and void, “as these were held under a flawed electoral system”. Through the petition, he said that the Article 207 of the constitution bars judges from holding any office of profit. The petitioner said the former chief justice SC Iftikhar Muhammad Choudhry being the then chairman of Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan summoned the policy making committee’s meetings and used it for “political interest and ill will”. He stated that Iftikhar Choudhry summoned the meeting of committee in November 2012 regarding electoral process and ruled out autonomy of ECP and issued directives and guidelines after meetings of policy-making committee.
The petition stated that May 2013 general elections under the said ordinances curtailed the independence of Election Commission of Pakistan as well as independence of top court’s judges as judges assume the office committee, which is also a violation of code of conduct compiled by Supreme Judicial Council. He claimed that the former chief justice played a role in rigging the general elections, as Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz supported his reinstatement. The petitioner further stated that the procedure of last general elections was biased and not transparent and requested the court to declare 2013 general elections null and void and issue the orders for re-election.