The plea seeking the declaration of the February 8 general elections as void and null has been disposed of by the Supreme Court after the petitioner, Ali Khan, failed to attend the consecutive hearings. The plea had urged the apex court to order new elections within 30 days to be held under the direct supervision and oversight of the judiciary. The court also imposed a fine of Rs500,000 on the petitioner for not appearing at the hearing. Additional Attorney General (AAG) Amir Rehman informed the court that the petitioner could not be located at his residence and had sent an email to the court saying that he was abroad. The petitioner’s absence from the court and subsequent email led the Chief Justice of Pakistan to call him a “strange person” who seems to have done a publicity stunt by filing the petition before the Supreme Court. The petition had alleged pre-poll rigging, election fraud, and misconduct that undermined the democratic foundations of the nation. Despite the significant turnout of voters in support of PTI on election day, the announcement of results was delayed by returning officers, raising serious concerns about the integrity and transparency of the electoral process.