Ceremony to be held at Governor’s House in Peshawar at 4:00 pm: Governor returns from Karachi after meeting Bilawal, who directs him to obey court orders: JUI-F denounces PHC ruling as politically driven
The swearing-in ceremony for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s newly-elected Chief Minister Sohail Afridi is scheduled to take place today at 4 pm at the Governor House in Peshawar. Governor Faisal Karim Kundi will administer the oath
KP Governor House has officially informed the Chief Minister House regarding the oath-taking ceremony of the newly-elected Chief Minister Sohail Afridi.
Following a directive from the Peshawar High Court (PHC), Governor Faisal Karim Kundi returned to Peshawar last night, cutting short his visit to Sindh.
The court had ordered him to administer the oath by 4 pm today. The high court also instructed that if the governor were unavailable, the Speaker of the Provincial Assembly would perform the swearing-in duties. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has welcomed the court’s decision, calling it a victory for justice.
At the time of the court order, Governor Kundi was in Karachi meeting with Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
During the meeting, Bilawal instructed the governor to travel to Peshawar and comply with the court’s ruling.
Furthermore, Bilawal directed Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to provide Governor Faisal Kundi with a special aircraft to ensure his immediate travel back to the provincial capital, Peshawar, to take oath from the newly elected CM.
On the other hand, the opposition party in the KP Assembly, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl group (JUI-F), has rejected the PHC’s decision.
Senior JUI-F leader Maulana Asad Mehmood has called the ruling unfair and unacceptable. He stated that the verdict goes against democratic norms and was issued under political pressure.
It is also pertinent to note that JUI-F, which is currently in opposition in the KP Assembly, has already challenged the election of Sohail Afridi in the PHC.
The petition was submitted by JUI-F’s parliamentary leader in the KP Assembly, Lutfur Rehman.
According to the petition, the resignation of former Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has not yet been formally accepted by the Governor, casting doubts over the legality of electing a new chief minister.
The JUI-F cited Article 130(8) of the Constitution of Pakistan, which stipulates that a new chief minister may only be elected once the incumbent’s resignation is officially approved.
