Objections to plea against polls on multiple seats challenged.

ISLAMABAD -- The Supreme Court registrar's objections to a petition against contesting elections on more than one seat were challenged on Wednesday, with the petitioner arguing that his case should be heard because it was in the public interest.

In his appeal before the apex court, Islamabad resident Muhammad Anwar Mughal has sought to strike down objections from the registrar's office, which had returned the petition on Jan 4.

Mr Mughal pleaded that his petition had raised a matter of public importance since it was public money being spent by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on by-elections after MNAs and MPAs won multiples seats and later vacated all but one.

He said that the amount lavishly spent on holding by-elections could be spent on rehabilitating flood-hit people, building new schools and health centres in remote areas, etc.

Citing the 2016 Chaudhry Muhammad Akram versus Registrar Islamabad High Court case, the petition said the Supreme Court had held that any matter directly and vitally concerning the general interest of the community or the public at large fell within the definition of public importance.

The appeal contended that the issue of elections on multiple seats highlighted through the petition related to...