ISLAMABAD, Sept 15: A nine-member Supreme Court bench constituted by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to hear petitions against holding of two offices by President Pervez Musharraf, will also hear the request by the petitioners to constitute a full court for the purpose.

The Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) and Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan have requested the Supreme Court to constitute the full court to hear their petition from Sept 17.

The nine-member bench comprising Justice Rana Bhagwandas, Justice Javed Iqbal, Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan, Justice Muhammad Nawaz Abbasi, Justice Faqir Muhammad Khokhar, Justice Falak Sher, Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan and Justice M Javed Buttar will resume hearing on a set of identical petitions on Monday moved by the JI and its chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed against retention of the office of chief of army staff, Imran Khan challenging the two offices of President Musharraf, Jameel Ahmed against the President for holding two offices, Prof Anwarul Haq seeking permission to contest the election for the office of the President and Shahid Orakzai against holding two offices by the President.

In his order the CJ has directed the office of the Registrar to refer all the requests by the petitioners for the formation of the full court before the larger bench when it will commence hearing on the petitions from Monday.

On September 6, a seven-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry while admitting JI’s petition for regular hearing had appointed senior advocates namely S M Zafar, Hafiz Pirzada and Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan as amicus curiae (friend of the court) and had ordered Malik Qayyum to assist the court as the attorney general.

Both the JI and Imran Khan in their applications have requested for the constitution of full court since a number of issues were involved pertaining to interpretation of the Constitution and questions relating to the eligibility of a person to occupy the office the President of Pakistan.