SC links affidavit attestation with personal appearance.

ISLAMABAD -- The SuAApreme Court on Monday held that the court magistrate or oath commissioner attesting any affidavit should be known to an applicant, who is filing a plea to challenge the candidature of an aspirant for elections.

Headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, a three-judge SC bench while hearing a set of 69 appeals observed that the oath commissioner would attest or verify the legal instrument or affidavit of an applicant on the condition that either he is personally known to the deponent or the oath commissioner is familiar with a third person who identifies the applicant.

However, the court in order to clarify further the competency of election disputes and the meaning of the verification process asked the petitioners' counsel to come prepared when the case will be taken up again next week.

The CJP observed that the court would elucidate in clear terms the meaning of laws regarding verification of the applicant while deciding appeals concerning a number of National Assembly seats.

The court issued the directions while hearing appeals concerning election disputes of different constituencies of national as provincial assemblies from 2018 to 2022. The court, however, rejected 11 appeAaAAls as they had become infructuous after the dissolution of Punjab and Khyber PaAAkhtunkhwa assemblies earlier this year.

In one of the cases, namely Waqas Akram versus Ghulam Bibi BharAwAaAAna, the...