The court ruled that the pleas were “premature” as the ECP had not yet initiated any proceedings or punitive action against the petitioners.
A two-judge bench comprising Justice Syed Arshad Ali and Justice Waqar Ahmad announced the reserved verdict and later issued a six-page written judgment detailing the arguments raised by both sides. The court also directed that issues concerning jurisdiction in such matters should first be determined before approaching the High Court.
During the hearing a day earlier, Justice Arshad Ali questioned the chief minister’s counsel on why the petition was filed before the ECP had taken any action. “You join the ECP proceedings and then rush here. Wait until the commission takes any disciplinary step, only then can you come to us,” he remarked. Justice Waqar Ahmad also observed that no proceedings had so far been initiated against the chief minister.
The chief minister’s counsel argued that Afridi had addressed a public gathering in Havelian, outside NA-18’s jurisdiction.