The Supreme Court of Pakistan has nullified the Registrar’s Office objections on the petition filed by the PTI founder against amendments to the Official Secrets Act and the Army Act.
The court directed the Registrar’s Office to formally register the constitutional petition and assign it a case number.
A five-member constitutional bench, led by Justice Aminuddin Khan, heard the case. During the hearing, PTI founder’s lawyer, Shoaib Shaheen, argued that the amendments infringe upon fundamental rights, and therefore, the court should review the matter.
The court questioned why the petitioner had not approached the High Court first. In response, Shoaib Shaheen stated that it is the court’s prerogative, not the Registrar’s, to determine the maintainability of the petition.
Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar remarked that under Article 184(3), the court has the discretion to hear petitions against laws but warned that if every case were directly brought to the Supreme Court, Article 199 would become ineffective.
The Supreme Court has now officially registered the PTI founder’s constitutional petition and adjourned the hearing indefinitely.
