SUPEREME COURT ALLOWS MUSHARRAF TO CONTEST POLL
By Muhammad Najeeb, Islamabad, 28 September 2007 (IANS)

Pakistan's Supreme Court Friday allowed President Pervez Musharraf to contest presidential elections for the second term while holding two posts, saying any objections to his candidature should be filed with the Election Commission. The nine-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Rana Bhagwandas dismissed all petitions filed against Musharraf's candidature and his simultaneously holding two offices of the president and the army chief.

The decision was given by six to three, with the majority saying that Musharraf can contest the elections. It was not immediately clear who all gave the decision in favour of Musharraf. The court started hearing Sep 17 six petitions filed against Musharraf for holding two offices - president and army chief - and his candidature for the presidential polls.

"This is the most unfortunate decision," said advocate Akram Sheikh, who pleaded the case against Musharraf's candidature, soon after the Supreme Court decision. The government, however, celebrated the court decision.

The petitions were filed by Jamaat-e-Islami chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Tehrik-e-Insaaf chief Imran Khan, president of Pakistan Communist Party Jamil Malik and others.

On Thursday, Musharraf and 42 other candidates filed nomination papers for the presidential elections that would take place Oct 6. The two other prominent candidates are Makhdoom Amin Fahim of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and former Supreme Court judge Wajihuddin Ahmed, who has support from the lawyers' community and opposition parties.

The Election Commission (EC) is scheduled to scrutinise the nomination papers of the candidates Saturday. The PPP and lawyers have already filed objections to Musharraf's candidacy. The PPP has asked the EC to seek Musharraf's bachelor's degree.

"I believe Musharraf is not a graduate," PPP leader Babar Awan told reporters Friday outside the Supreme Court. In Pakistan, usually cadets join the army after grade 10 or 12 and are not graduates. However, in the mid-'90s the Army Staff College and other military institutions were allowed to run graduation and master-level courses.

The PPP leader believes that Musharraf never attended any army educational institutional after 1994 when these institutions were allowed to run the graduate courses.

The lawyers' community has announced that they would gather in a big number outside the Election Commission's head office in Islamabad Saturday when the nomination papers would be scrutinised.