ISLAMABAD: The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) on Wednesday sought a reply within 10 days from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi in a petition challenging the establishment of a “Release Force” aimed at freeing incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder, former prime minister Imran Khan.
A three-member FCC bench, headed by Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan, heard the petition filed by one Zaheer Ahmed against the force being formed for the release of PTI founder.
During the hearing, the court made it clear that the formation of any kind of force within the state is only possible under a constitutional framework.
Appearing before the court, Ali Nawaz, counsel for the petitioner Zaheer Ahmed, presented important documents related to the formation of “Imran Khan Release Force” in pursuance of the court’s previous order.
The counsel submitted that the KP chief minister claims the force is meant to combat dacoits (bandits). However, he contended that the establishment of such a private or parallel force by a provincial chief executive could pose a serious threat to national peace.
He informed the FCC that a clear ruling by the Sindh High Court on law and order already exists, which negates the formation of any such force. Moreover, the counsel contended that no force can be formed for a person convicted by the country’s judiciary.
Justice Ali Baqar Najafi inquired whether the provincial cabinet had formally approved the formation of this force. The counsel replied in the negative, stating that no such approval had been granted so far.
Meanwhile, the court issued notices to both the KP chief minister and the federal government, directing the chief minister to submit a written response within 10 days.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Special Assistant to the KP Chief Minister, Shafi Jan, has reportedly said that the process of forming a force for the release of Imran Khan is progressing rapidly, and more than 10,000 young people have registered so far.
He said that once the number reaches 100,000, the chief minister will administer an oath to them. He added that 272 registration camps are being set up across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the force.
