ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a petition challenging the appointment of Sikandar Sultan Raja, a retired Pakistan Administrative Service civil servant, as chief election commissioner.
Raja took the oath of office in January last year, days after the government and opposition agreed to appoint him to head the Election Commission of Pakistan.
Last week, an Islamabad-based lawyer, Ali Azim Afridi, had moved the petition against Raja’s appointment, contending that the Constitution (22nd Amendment) Act, 2016 was in conflict with the Constitution.
He, thereby, requested the court to declare the appointment unconstitutional
A two-judge bench — headed by the acting chief justice, Umar Ata Bandial — declared the request inaudible, observing the objections raised by its Registrar Office were not be addressed by Afridi.
Justice Bandial said a constitutional amendment could not be challenged.
The applicant had moved to the Supreme Court after his petition was rejected by the Peshawar High Court in September last.
