PHC seeks additional documents in KP chief minister’s petition against ECP notice

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday directed lawyers for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to submit additional documents in a writ petition challenging a notice issued to him by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

A two-member bench comprising Justice Syed Arshad Ali and Justice Farah Jamshed heard the petition. The bench observed that it would hear the matter and announce its verdict on the next date of hearing.

During the proceedings, Advocate Alam Khan Adinzai and Advocate Bashir Khan appeared on behalf of the chief minister, while ECP officials were also present in court.

At the outset of the hearing, counsel for the chief minister told the court that their client, who is the elected chief minister of the province, had been served a notice by the ECP over allegations that he threatened government officials during a public rally in Haripur.

The lawyers argued that the rally had taken place outside the constituency where the by-election was being held, but the ECP still proceeded to issue the notice.

They further informed the court that they wanted to place certain documents on record to highlight what they described as selective action by the Election Commission.

According to the petitioner’s lawyers, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz also addressed a public gathering on the same day that Sohail Afridi spoke at the rally in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but no action was taken against her by the ECP.

The counsel said they had filed a complaint before the Election Commission against Maryam Nawaz, but that complaint was dismissed by the commission.

Justice Syed Arshad Ali remarked during the hearing that the matter relating to Punjab did not fall within the jurisdiction of the Peshawar High Court.

The petitioner’s side also told the bench that they wished to draw the court’s attention to what they called the Election Commission’s discriminatory conduct, saying proceedings had been initiated against the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister for holding a rally while no similar action was taken against the Punjab chief minister.

discriminatory attitude

The lawyers also complained that the ECP had not supplied them with a copy of the order through which their application against Maryam Nawaz had been rejected. They asked the court to direct the commission to provide that copy so it could be placed on the judicial record.

The bench then directed the Election Commission to furnish the required copy to the petitioner’s counsel. The court also instructed the lawyers to submit any additional documents they intended to file.

The PHC stated that the case would be decided on the next date of hearing.