Clearing last-minute obstacles, the Pakistan's Supreme Court on Friday ruled the Presidential polls, in which General Pervez Musharraf is seeking re-election in uniform, can be held as scheduled tomorrow, but said the result should not be announced till it decides on petitions against his candidature.
In a unanimous decision, a 10-member bench headed by Justice Javed Iqbal rejected petitions seeking a stay on the election.
"The bench has unanimously resolved and directed that the election process should proceed as per the schedule announced by the chief election commissioner," Justice Iqbal said.
"But final notification of the returning candidate will not be issued until the decision (of the apex court on the petitions) for which the process is to begin from October 17," he said.
The apex court is hearing petitions filed by Musharraf's rival candidates in the Presidential ballot Pakistan People's Party's Makhdoom Amin Fahim and former Supreme Court judge Wajeehuddin Ahmed, who had quit his post in protest against the military coup staged by Musharraf in 1999.
Upholding the Election Commission's decision to hold the Presidential poll on October 6, the Supreme Court bench said it could not stay the election process that had already got underway.