News Desk
The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) has disposed of a petition filed by Sher Afzal Marwat seeking to disqualify Sohail Afridi.
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.
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. 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.
Separately, PTI interim chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said the country was going through a “very fragile situation”. He lamented that the KP government was accused of “backing terrorists”.
“The prime minister has alleged that we are supporting terrorists. We are disappointed to hear that. You have to apologise to the entire population of KP and us,” he said.
“Prime minister, you have given a message to the entire world that one of the federating units of the country was backing terrorists,” Gohar added.
Speaking in the Parliament, NA Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai blamed “faulty decisions” of the country’s rulers for the current situation.
Meanwhile, Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas accused the government’s delegation of derailing the dialogue with the opposition, including the Oct 3 talks.