Speculations were rife on Monday that the caretaker Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Mohammad Azam Khan, had resigned over differences with Governor Haji Ghulam Ali. However, a spokesperson for the KP CM House dismissed the reports, terming them as rumors being circulated on social media due to differences between Azam and Governor Ali. The spokesperson stated that the Governor was biased and that it would be impossible to conduct a fair election with him in the post. The reports circulating on social media quoted the caretaker Chief Minister as saying, “When the governor has all the power, what is my need?” The spokesperson added that there was no truth in the reports about the resignation of the caretaker Chief Minister, as it was just a rumor.
In addition, reports were also circulating on social media about differences between the caretaker Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary. Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani filed a contempt petition against the KP Governor and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday for not announcing the date of elections in the province, citing a violation of the Supreme Court (SC) order. The petition stated that the Governor “willfully chose to ignore the exalted status of his high constitutional office,” and that he is “already in breach of his constitutional responsibilities and that he must appoint the date for holding the general election to the KP Assembly.” Ghani requested the court to initiate judicial proceedings against the Governor and “punish him accordingly.”
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The PTI leader also urged the apex court to implement its order by announcing the election date. Sixty-two days have passed since the KP Assembly was dissolved, but the date of the election has not yet been announced. The apex court had also ordered the Governor to give the date for polls in the province. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court announced its verdict after two-day-long proceedings in the case regarding the delay in the announcement of the date for provincial elections in Punjab and KP. The apex court ordered that elections in both assemblies should be held in the next 90 days, with the Chief Justice saying: “Democracy cannot exist without assemblies.”
