PTI 
 
Islamabad, Sep 22:  In a setback to the opposition's attempts to prevent Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf from seeking re-election in uniform, the Supreme Court has rejected cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan's plea to revoke an amendment in election rules that allows the General to contest without giving up the post of army chief.

"We have declined and not allowed the CMA (civil miscellaneous application) of Imran Khan," Dawn newspaper quoted Justice Rana Bhagwandas, who headed the bench hearing identical petitions challenging the President's dual offices, as saying yesterday.

Khan, heading the Tehreek-i-Insaf (Social Justice) party, in his application filed on Wednesday had requested the court to implead the Chief Election Commissioner as a respondent in the main petitions, claiming that the amendment had been made in a "clandestine manner".

The court "rejected an application of Imran Khan seeking revocation of the September 10 amendment to the Presidential Election Rules, 1988, made by the Chief Election Commissioner," the newspaper reported.

The CEC, who yesterday released the poll schedule fixing the date for Presidential election on October 6, had amended a constitutional provision barring a government servant from contesting elections. The CEC also barred the returning officer from rejecting any nomination paper.

The opposition cried foul and questioned the right of the CEC to amend the election rules. Some judges of the Supreme Court bench also questioned it during the hearing two days ago.