The Peshawar High Court has dismissed a petition filed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi challenging an Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) notice issued against him.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Arshad Ali and Justice Faheem Wali announced the reserved verdict on the chief minister’s petition.
Sohail Afridi’s lawyer and representatives of the Election Commission appeared before the court during the proceedings.
Why did ECP issue notice to Sohail Afridi?
According to the chief minister’s counsel, the ECP notice was issued on November 25, 2025, over allegations that Sohail Afridi had made statements against election officials and attempted to influence the electoral process.
The lawyer argued that the chief minister’s speech had taken place outside the limits of NA-18. He said the District Monitoring Officer (DMO) had issued a notice under Section 234, while the Election Commission had also initiated proceedings under Section 15.
The counsel further argued that the ECP had combined a private complaint with the matter and initiated proceedings against the chief minister.
ECP calls petition premature
The Election Commission’s representative argued that the petition was not maintainable because no final action had been taken against the chief minister.
The ECP said its inquiry was still at an initial stage and that the notice was issued within its jurisdiction. It requested the court to dismiss the petition as premature.
During the hearing, Justice Arshad Ali observed that the Election Commission had initiated an inquiry and that there was no legal bar preventing it from conducting the proceedings.
The court also noted that the ECP would hear the chief minister’s response before deciding the matter further.
The Election Commission maintained that proceedings following a DMO’s report fall within its jurisdiction and that the relevant process would continue according to law.
PHC dismisses Sohail Afridi’s petition
After hearing arguments from both sides, the Peshawar High Court announced its reserved decision and dismissed Chief Minister Sohail Afridi’s petition against the Election Commission notice.
The ruling allows the ECP proceedings to continue according to the applicable legal process.
