FCC Ends Petition Against Sohail Afridi’s Election as KP CM
Court calls the case infructuous after governor’s rule and an emergency were imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) on Thursday closed a petition against the election of Sohail Afridi as chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The case was filed by MNA Sher Afzal Marwat.
A bench led by Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan heard the matter. The judges declared the petition infructuous and disposed of it.
The court took this step because governor’s rule and an emergency are now in force in the province. In simple words, the situation changed, so the court saw no reason to decide the case.
The federal government imposed the emergency and governor’s rule on October 11. That decision came only days before the hearing.
Marwat first approached the court in May 2026. He asked the judges to cancel the notification that made Afridi chief minister.
His case was built on the resignation of former chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur. Marwat said Gandapur did not leave office of his own free will.
He claimed Gandapur resigned on the instructions of PTI founder Imran Khan. Marwat argued that such a resignation had no legal value.
He also asked the court to bring Gandapur back as chief minister. In addition, he wanted the actions taken after the change to be declared void.
The FCC took up the petition for hearing in September. It sent notices to the KP government, Sohail Afridi and the Attorney General for Pakistan.
During that hearing, the judges asked what constitutional question the case raised. Marwat replied that the governor had not accepted the resignation, and that this approval was needed.
The case drew attention because it touched one of the most sensitive political issues in the province. Many people were waiting to see how the court would decide it.
Now the court will not give a ruling on the main question. The FCC did not decide whether Afridi’s election was right or wrong.
Political observers say the new situation in the province has changed everything. Some reports say a return of Afridi to office looks unlikely, even if the emergency is only temporary.
That claim comes from a federal government source and has not been officially confirmed. It should be read with care.
For now, the focus has moved from the courtroom to the political field. All sides are watching what the federal government will do next in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The decision also shows how fast events can overtake a court case. A petition that was fixed for a full hearing ended in a short order.
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