ISLAMABAD: The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) has fixed for hearing a constitutional petition challenging the election and appointment of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi with the case scheduled to be heard on October 15.
The three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan, will hear the petition filed by National Assembly member Sher Afzal Khan Marwat. The FCC had earlier admitted the petition for regular hearing and issued notices to the KP government, Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and the Attorney General.
In his petition, Marwat has challenged the constitutional validity of Afridi’s election as chief minister. He has argued that the process leading to Afridi’s appointment was contrary to constitutional requirements.
A key issue raised in the petition concerns the resignation of former KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur. Marwat has argued that Gandapur’s resignation was not voluntary, claiming it was submitted on the direction of PTI founder Imran Khan. He contends that if the resignation was not voluntary, it should not have legal effect.
The petitioner has also sought Gandapur’s restoration as chief minister, arguing that the process through which he was replaced and Afridi was subsequently elected should be declared unconstitutional.
The Federal Constitutional Court will hear the parties’ arguments before deciding the constitutional questions raised in the petition. The filing and allegations represent the petitioner’s position and have not been established as findings by the court.
