Code of conduct violation in by-poll: CM Afridi urges ECP to decide on maintainability of case against him

ISLAMABAD: KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has urged the electoral body to decide on the maintainability of the case against him over alleged code of conduct violation related to by-election on a National Assembly seat that was held in November last year.

The five-member full bench of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday heard the case against the KP chief minister and Shehar Naz Omar Ayub Khan, who was the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed candidate for by-election on NA-18 Haripur seat, over alleged code of conduct violation in the said by-election.

During the proceedings of the case, defence lawyer Advocate Ali Bukhari urged the bench to first decide on the maintainability of this case before proceeding ahead with the case.

He also informed the bench that a copy of the written reply submitted by Babar Nawaz Khan, the petitioner in the case, was not shared with the respondent side.

Babar from Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is also the returned candidate for NA-18 Haripur by-election held on 23rd November 2025.

Heading the bench, Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja asked the defence counsel if he wanted to present arguments on both the counts; maintainability of the case and written reply of the petitioner.

Bukhari responded that the maintainability of the case needed to be decided first.

Directing that a copy of the petitioner’s written reply be shared with the defence side, the bench adjourned the case till 20th January 2026.

Shehar Naz Omar Ayub is the wife of former NA opposition leader Omar Ayub Khan.

The NA-18 seat had fallen vacant following Omar’s disqualification at the hands of an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in a case registered in connection with the 9 May riots.

On 20th November 2025, the ECP took notice of CM KP’s public speech in Havelian, a tehsil of district Abbottabad, delivered a day earlier on 19th November.

The poll entity accused CM Afridi of threatening the district administration, police, and electoral officials assigned to hold the NA-18 by-election in the said speech. The electoral body then summoned the CM KP and the NA-18, fixing this case for regular hearing.

During the hearing of this case on 25th November, the ECP bench granted the CM KP exemption from physical appearance for the remaining hearings.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026