ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has reserved its verdict in a case against Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sohail Afridi over alleged code of conduct violation related to a by-election held on a National Assembly seat in November, last year.
A five-member full bench of the ECP heard the case on Tuesday involving alleged violation of the electoral code of conduct related to NA-18 Haripur by-election held on 23 November 2025.
In his arguments, CM KP’s counsel Advocate Ali Bukhari alleged the ECP “never issued any decision in favour of PTI,” adding that the Commission did not take any action against Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz for announcing development schemes ahead of the by-election.
Heading the bench, Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja told him that the matter involving the CM Punjab was unrelated to this case.
He said the ECP decided in favour of the PTI in the defection case; referring to the ECP’s decision issued in May 2022 to de-seat 25 PTI lawmakers in Punjab Assembly who voted for Hamza Shahbaz against the party policy in the election of CM Punjab, held in April 2022.
Bench member Nisar Ahmed Durrani said the incumbent CM Punjab did not threaten the electoral staff assigned to the by-election the way the CM KP did.
The defence lawyer denied that the CM KP threatened the officials assigned to NA-18 by-elections. The CM, he said, made “political statements” in political gatherings.
The CEC responded, “Whether he was speaking in a public gathering or behind closed doors, the fact is that he was speaking in his official capacity as the CM.”
Advocate Sajeel Swati, the counsel for Babar Nawaz Khan from Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), the petitioner in the case, alleged that the CM KP clearly tried to intimidate the police, district administration and election officials in his speech delivered in Havelian.
ECP’s Additional Director General (Law) Advocate Khurram Shehzad, who is also the ECP’s counsel in this case, said the ECP can proceed against the CM KP for corrupt practices for threatening the staff assigned to NA-18 by-election.
Upon the conclusion of arguments by the prosecution and defence sides, the Commission reserved its verdict, expected to be announced in the coming days.
On 20 November, last year, the ECP took notice of CM KP’s public speech in Havelian, a tehsil of district Abbottabad, delivered a day earlier on 19 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 fixed this case for regular hearing.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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