Sohail Afridi sworn in as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister

PESHAWAR: Newly elected Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi took oath of office in a ceremony held in Peshawar on Wednesday.

KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi administered the oath to the newly elected chief minister.

A large number of party workers attended the oath-taking ceremony.

KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, former governor Shah Farman, PTI leaders Asad Qaiser, Shahram Tarakai, Atif Khan and other political figures also attended the oath taking ceremony.

Earlier, the Peshawar High Court had directed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor to administer the oath to Sohail Afridi by 4 pm today.

The court ruled that if the governor failed to do so, the provincial assembly speaker is instructed to administer the oath instead.

The PHC announced its reserved verdict on a petition filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) seeking the oath-taking of newly elected chief minister.

Earlier, the PHC heard the plea seeking Sohail Afridi’s oath-taking, where PTI’s counsel Salman Akram Raja and KP Governor’s counsel Barrister Amir Javed concluded their arguments, after which the court reserved its decision.

The PTI had earlier submitted an application to the PHC chief justice requesting the administration of oath to the newly elected chief minister.

The PHC chief justice also heard the plea earlier and directed the Additional Attorney General to seek comments from the KP governor and present them before the court.

Former Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur resigned from his position last week on the directives of party chairman Imran Khan. However, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has not yet accepted his resignation.

Earlier, the KP Assembly elected Sohail Afridi as the new chief minister, a move the opposition declared illegal. The opposition boycotted the proceedings and announced plans to challenge the election in court.