Peshawar [Pakistan], November 22 : Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mohammad Sohail Afridi has filed a petition in the Peshawar High Court challenging a notice issued to him by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) over an allegedly provocative speech made during the NA-18 Haripur by-election campaign, Dawn reported.
In the plea, he requested the court to suspend any action stemming from the notice and to strike it down as unlawful.
As per Dawn, Afridi argued that the November 20 notice infringed upon his constitutional rights and was founded on a "hearsay allegation" of abusing his office. He contended that the move amounted to political targeting intended to support opposing candidates, contradicting the ECP's responsibility to ensure neutrality.
The petition stated that section 234 of the Elections Act applies only in the event of "repeated violations," and no prior instance had been established against him. Afridi maintained that mandatory steps including a summary probe, an order by the district monitoring officer (DMO) and the right to appeal were ignored, yet the ECP still issued the notice "on exaggerated media reports," according to Dawn.
Afridi further asserted that section 234 did not apply because the DMO in Haripur had neither launched an inquiry nor issued any formal order. He said his province-wide visits and public addresses were intended to address citizens' concerns and could not be grounds for punitive action.
In a related development, Dawn reported that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-supported candidate Shehrnaz Omar Ayub also filed a petition against a similar ECP notice. She argued that issuing such a notice just three days before the November 23 polling date was unjustified and based on incorrect information.
When the ECP later took up the cases involving Afridi and Shehrnaz Ayub, Afridi's lawyer Ali Bokhari challenged the foundation of the notice. Speaking before the four-member bench led by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, he said the chief minister had spoken at a rally in Havelian, Abbottabad, rather than in Haripur.
After a KP member of the commission questioned Afridi's absence, Bokhari replied by expressing concern over whether his client would receive fair treatment.
During the hearing, ECP secretary Omar Hamid Khan stated that the chief minister had addressed gatherings in "Chamba and Haveliyan," adding that these locations sit near the constituency boundary.
He told the bench, "The KP chief minister intimidated election staff. The candidate from the constituency, Shehrnaz Omar Ayub, is equally responsible." The CEC remarked, "We know Havelian is in Abbotabad," Dawn noted.
Afridi's counsel also questioned why similar proceedings had not been initiated against Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, who recently announced a PKR 3 billion hospital project in nearby Hasan Abdal.
The CEC responded, "Today, we have also issued a notice to a federal minister for violation of the code of conduct."
The commission adjourned the matter, scheduling the next hearing for November 25.
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