PESHAWAR(WNAM REPORT): The Peshawar High Court has issued a verdict regarding the delayed oath-taking of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s newly elected Chief Minister, Sohail Afridi.
Chief Justice of PHC, Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, stated that the Governor of K-P will administer the oath at 4:00pm on Wednesday, October 15.
He added that if the Governor is unable to do so, the Speaker of the Provincial Assembly, Babar Saleem Swati, will administer the oath instead.
Junaid Akbar, a member of the National Assembly, welcomed the court’s ruling, saying: “The court acted impartially and granted the rights in accordance with the law.”
During the day, PHC has ordered verification of the K-P Governor Faisal Karim Kundi’s availability regarding the oath-taking of the newly elected Chief Minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).
The court issued a written order on a petition concerning the delay in the oath-taking, directing the Additional Advocate General to ascertain the Governor’s availability and inform the court before 1 pm today, so that the reasons for the delay could be clarified.
The written decision noted that the petition had been filed by the Speaker and members of the Provincial Assembly under Article 255 of the Constitution, requesting that if the Governor is unable to administer the oath, the responsibility should be assigned to the Speaker or another suitable person.
The petitioners argued that the delay in the Chief Minister’s oath was hindering the constitutional process and should be resolved immediately. The court instructed the parties to submit a complete report on the Governor’s availability and constitutional requirements.
Meanwhile, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) has challenged the election of K-P’s new Chief Minister, Sohail Afridi. The petition, filed in the Peshawar High Court by Lutfur Rehman, parliamentary leader of JUI in the Provincial Assembly, through Barrister Yaseen Raza, contends that the resignation of the previous Chief Minister, Ali Amin Gandapur, had not yet been approved, raising questions over the legality of Afridi’s election.
The petition also stated that the Governor of K-P had summoned Gandapur on October 15 for verification of his resignation.
Speaking to the media, Lutfur Rehman said the election of the new Chief Minister was illegal, as the previous Chief Minister’s resignation had not been formally approved. He added that the previous Chief Minister could continue functioning until a successor took office. Lutfur Rehman said that although they submitted their documents at the Speaker’s request, they boycotted the session, and only realised the resignation had not been approved when the Governor’s letter arrived.
