ISLAMABAD: The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) on Thursday disposed of MNA Sher Afzal Marwat's petition challenging the election of Sohail Afridi as chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Geo News reported that the bench, headed by Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan, declared the petition infructuous following the imposition of governor's rule and an emergency in the province.
According to ARY News, a two-member bench heard the case. Marwat appeared in person, while Afridi was represented by his counsel, Syed Ali Bukhari. The chief justice remarked that proceedings could not move forward in the present circumstances, noting that Afridi was not currently holding the office of chief minister.
Justice Baqar Najafi observed that the 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 he wanted to challenge the imposition of the emergency and governor's rule, and sought a short adjournment. He argued that if governor's rule and the emergency were lifted in future, Afridi could be restored to office.
The chief justice responded that if the chief minister were reinstated, the petitioner could file a miscellaneous application to revive the proceedings. The News and Hum News also reported that the plea was disposed of as infructuous.
The federal government recently imposed an emergency and governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a move endorsed by the National Assembly and the Senate and challenged by the PTI before the Peshawar High Court.