Lahore, Oct 17 : If the Pakistan Supreme Court finds that President General Pervez Musharraf’s re-election from the present National and provincial assemblies is not valid, the imposition of martial law in the country cannot be ruled out, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sher Afgan Khan Niazi has said.

The apex court will today hear the petitions challenging Musharraf’s candidature in the October 6 presidential election, Daily Times reported.

“I am not threatening anyone, but chances of martial law cannot be ruled out,” said Niazi, referring to the Supreme Court case.

Commenting on the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), Niazi said that neither Nawaz Sharif nor Benazir Bhutto would benefit from the ordinance, as it would only end political cases, not corruption and money laundering cases.

The apex court had no authority to eliminate the NRO entirely, as the court could only erase the clauses of the ordinance that were against the human rights guaranteed in the Constitution, Niazi told Geo News.

While Musharraf has reportedly won the presidential election with a huge margin, the court has asked the Election Commission to withhold the result notification until it takes the decision on the petitions.

Niazi went on to say that for a smooth transition from the military rule to a civilian set-up and to block further military takeovers, it was important that Musharraf becomes president for another term. (ANI)