A law officer informs court that governor was on an official visit and would return by 2 pm tomorrow
PESHAWAR: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-Oct 14th, 2025) The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Monday reserved its verdict on a petition seeking directions for administering the oath of office to the newly elected Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
A PHC bench headed by Chief Justice Peshawar High Court heard the case.
During the proceedings, the Additional Attorney General informed the court that the governor was on an official visit and would return by 2 pm tomorrow.
The Chief Justice inquired whether the governor had expressed willingness to administer the oath. The Additional Attorney General replied that the governor had summoned Ali Amin Gandapur regarding the approval of his resignation.
When asked if the governor had consented to conduct the oath-taking ceremony, the law officer said the governor would decide upon his return and had nominated Advocate Amir Javed to present arguments on his behalf.
Advocate Amir Javed told the court that the matter should be held until tomorrow, as the governor’s return would allow all formalities to be completed. He added that until the new chief minister assumes office, the previous one would continue to perform official duties.
However, the Chief Justice remarked that such an arrangement applies only when elections have not taken place, whereas in this case, the election has already been held and nomination papers were filed by multiple candidates for the CM’s position.
Amir Javed added that once the governor returns, he may approve the resignation and administer the oath. “If urgency is required, the government has a plane and can send it to bring the governor tonight,” he said. To this, the court asked whether the governor usually travels by public flight, and Javed confirmed that he does.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the court reserved its decision.
Meanwhile, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) has filed a separate petition in the PHC challenging the election of the new chief minister. The petition, filed by provincial assembly member Lutfur Rehman, stated that Ali Amin Gandapur’s resignation had not been accepted, yet another chief minister had been elected.
The plea argued that the election of PTI’s newly elected Chief Minister Suhail Afridi was unconstitutional and illegal, urging the court to declare the election process null and void.
It may be mentioned here that Suhail Afridi of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was elected as the new Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with the support of 90 members. However, the KP governor has yet to accept Ali Amin Gandapur’s resignation and has reportedly returned it with objections.
