ISLAMABAD, 18 September 2007 — Pakistan’s Supreme Court yesterday began hearing petitions against Gen. Pervez Musharraf’s plan to be re-elected as president while holding the post of army chief.

The legal challenges come just days before Musharraf is expected to file his nomination papers for a parliamentary ballot for another five-year term in office, a vote that is due before Oct. 15.

The petitions have been filed by the Jamaat-e-Islami, the outspoken cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan and an association of pro-democracy lawyers.

The nine-member bench headed by Justice Rana Bhagwan Das had earlier appointed three jurists S. M. Zafar, Aitzaz Ahsan and Hafiz Pirzada as amici curiae of the court. But Ahsan yesterday refused to assist the court saying, “Everyone in the court knows I am against Musharraf therefore I cannot assist the court.”

The court rejected plea from the petitioners for the constitution of a full bench and observed that the nine-member bench would hear the case.

“Musharraf has never been the duly elected president,” Akram Sheikh, the counsel for the Jamaat-e-Islami party, told the court as he opened his arguments. The judges are expected to rule by the end of this week.

The court adjourned the hearing until today with an order that due to the important nature of the case the bench will hear it on a regular basis.

The petitioners, all argue that Musharraf should not be allowed to hold his military and civilian offices at the same time.

They also oppose Musharraf’s bid to be re-elected by the outgoing Parliament and provincial assemblies, saying there should be a general election first to reflect the changing political landscape.

Akram said a law introduced in 2004 allowing Musharraf to stay on as president-in-uniform was “discriminatory and should be struck down by the court.”

As the political activity in the country gained momentum, the opposition condemned “unconstitutional” changes in election rules that previously barred Musharraf from seeking a new term.

Pakistan’s Election Commission said at the weekend that it had amended rules restricting public servants — such as army chief Musharraf — from standing in polls unless they have been retired from their jobs for two years.

“The Election Commission cannot amend or suspend any article of the constitution,” said Siddique-ul Farooq, a spokesman for Sharif’s faction of the Pakistan Muslim League party.

An alliance of key opposition parties also said they would quit Parliament en masse if the commission accepted Musharraf’s nomination. It includes Sharif’s group but not Benazir’s Pakistan People’s Party.

The Election Commission made a formal announcement yesterday about the changes in election rules. “The chief election commissioner of Pakistan has made the requisite amendment, with the approval of the president,” the commission said in a statement.

The commission said it was updating its rules to reflect Supreme Court rulings in 2002 and 2005 that Article 63 of the constitution did not apply to Musharraf.

The article bars civil servants, including members of the military, from running for elected office, which some legal experts argue prevents Musharraf from seeking another term.

The article also says that former civil servants must wait for two years before they become eligible. Some argue that makes Musharraf ineligible even if he quits as army chief.

The 2002 and 2005 court cases challenged the legality of Musharraf’s presidency, including his holding of the office of president and army chief at the same time.