ISLAMABAD: The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) has disposed of a petition filed by Sher Afzal Marwat seeking to disqualify Sohail Afridi, ARY News reported.
The ruling said that the plea had become ineffective in light of subsequent developments, including the imposition of emergency and Governor’s Rule.
A two-member bench headed by Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan heard the case. Sher Afzal Marwat appeared before the court, while Sohail Afridi was represented by his counsel, Syed Ali Bukhari.
During the hearing, FCC Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan observed that the petition had become ineffective following the developments relating to emergency and Governor’s Rule. He questioned whether the case could still be heard after the recent developments concerning the chief minister.
The chief justice remarked that proceedings on the petition could not move forward under the prevailing circumstances and noted that Sohail Afridi was not currently holding the office of chief minister.
Justice Baqar Najafi observed that emergency and Governor’s Rule were separate issues, adding that the case against the chief minister was no longer a live issue.
Read more: Sohail Afridi’s disqualification process underway, claims Faisal Vawda
Marwat told the court that he wanted to challenge the imposition of emergency and Governor’s Rule. He also requested a short adjournment in connection with the petition against Sohail Afridi.
Marwat argued that if Governor’s Rule and the emergency were lifted in the future, Sohail Afridi could be restored to office.
The chief justice observed that if the chief minister were reinstated in the future, the petitioner could file a miscellaneous application seeking restoration of the proceedings.
The court subsequently disposed of Marwat’s petition after finding it ineffective in view of the prevailing circumstances.
Earlier, Senator Faisal Vawda claimed that the disqualification process against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has begun, predicting that he would be disqualified.
Speaking on ARY News programme Khabar, Vawda said the newly formed KP Advisory Council had 180 days to demonstrate its performance, adding that there would be no room for failure.
He said that if Governor Faisal Karim Kundi managed to deliver even five to 10 per cent of the expected results, the public would move towards the next phase on its own.
Vawda said the advisory council included capable people, but their performance would be monitored closely. He added that members who failed to deliver within 180 days could also be replaced.