PHC proposes larger bench in Sohail Afridi recovery case

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has proposed the formation of a larger bench to hear petitions seeking the recovery of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and Speaker Babar Saleem Swati.

During the hearing, the court directed that the matter be placed before the chief justice for consideration of a larger bench to hear the case.

Justice Arshad Ali questioned the provincial advocate general over his failure to submit a response despite being given 10 days to comply with the court’s previous order.

The advocate general told the court that he had received the relevant report only on the day of the hearing and requested three additional days to submit a detailed response.

He informed the court that reports had also been sought from the police, law enforcement agencies and deputy commissioners regarding the matter.

The advocate general further pointed out that hundreds of cases involving detention under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (3-MPO) had previously been submitted without similar questioning from the court.

Responding to his explanation, Justice Arshad Ali warned that if the provincial government’s attitude towards court orders continued, the matter would be referred to a larger bench.

The advocate general also supported the proposal, saying that a larger bench should be constituted to hear the case.

Following the proceedings, the court directed that the matter be placed before the chief justice for further consideration regarding the constitution of a larger bench.

The case concerns petitions seeking information about the whereabouts and recovery of Sohail Afridi and Babar Saleem Swati.