Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Requests Larger Bench in Peshawar High Court Against Governor’s Rule and Emergency in KP; Court Issues Notices to Attorney General and Advocate General
PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court has asked to hear the arguments against the imposition of Governor’s Rule and a state of emergency in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has formally requested for larger bench of the court for the high-stakes constitutional issue.
The suit filed by PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan and Advocate Salman Akram Raja includes impleads the Federation of Pakistan, President, Prime Minister and KP Governor as respondents. Barrister Gohar pointed out that PTI has always joined the federal government in the overall struggle against terrorism and terrorism was being wrongly used as an excuse to impose Governor’s Rule during the proceedings.
The major highlights of the Peshawar High Court hearing regarding KP Governor’s Rule are highlighted below.
Senior advocate Salman Akram Raja, acting for the petitioners, argued that the provincial assembly must pass a resolution on an emergency, and the current administrative actions were completely unconstitutional and undemocratic.
Key Officials’ Arrests: Raja told the court that the President of the Provincial Assembly, KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and others are unlawfully detained and should be released immediately with the reinstatement of the provincial government. He said the maintenance of law and order is in the jurisdiction of the province and security policies are drafted in consultation with the Apex Committee which consist of both federal and provincial stakeholders.
Judicial Directives and Next Steps: The court said that formal notice will be issued to the Attorney General for Pakistan and the Advocate General. The bench said it will consider the application for interim relief before making an order and also adjourn the hearing till November 10, while lawyers sought relief.