THE post-PCO Supreme Court on Friday certified the Oct 6 presidential election of General Pervez Musharraf for a second term, but said he should take the oath of the office only after quitting the post of the Chief of Army Staff.

Vacating the stay against the Election Commission of Pakistan from notifying the results of the presidential election, a 10-member SC bench directed the commission as well as the federal government to take steps by December 1 for the final announcement of the results of the election and issue a public notification.

The court held that President Musharraf was qualified for and did not suffer from any disqualification under the Constitution for the presidential election 2007. “The view taken by the Chief Election Commissioner is unexceptionable,” the verdict said.

It directed President Musharraf to relinquish the office of the COAS before taking oath to the office of the presidency.

The seven-page order came after the court had dismissed all petitions challenging Gen Musharraf’s re-election and acceptance of his nomination by the Election Commission.

The petitions of former Supreme Court judge Wajihuddin Ahmed, who contested the presidential election against Gen Pervez Musharraf, and Advocate A.K. Dogar of the Pakistan Lawyers Forum were dismissed for non-prosecution. A contempt of court petition of Mr Wajihuddin against the CEC also stood dismissed for non-prosecution.

However, petitions of PPP president Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Jamaat-i-Islami leader Liaquat Baloch and Dr Anwarul Haq were dismissed as withdrawn. The petition of Dr Mehdi was dismissed on Thursday.

The petitions were earlier being heard by an 11-judge bench, but most of its members stood deposed on Nov 3 after they refused to take the oath under the Provisional Constitution Order. The same bench, a day before the election, had declined to stay the presidential election, but directed the commission not to notify the results till the bench gave its final verdict.