Peshawar High Court suspends appointment of five advisers, special assistants to KP chief minister

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Thursday struck down notifications by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government announcing the appointment of five advisers and special assistants to the provincial chief minister.

Justice Ikramullah Khan announced the decision, which came on a writ petition filed by Awami National Party (ANP) provincial lawmaker Khush Dil Khan Advocate challenging the appointments.

The notifications were issued earlier this year announcing the appointments of Ajmal Wazir, Ziaullah Khan Bangash, and Hamayatullah Khan as advisers to the chief minister and Abdul Karim Khan, and Kamran Khan Bangash as special assistants to the KP chief minister.

Responding to the court's decision, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Shaukat Yousafzai said the provincial government was going through the court order. He said he had only learnt of the decision through television news channels and that no notice had been issued to the government by the court in the matter.

He said that there was nothing unlawful in the government's appointment of the five special assistants and advisers. He said the Constitution allows the chief minister to appoint more than five advisers and special assistants.

He said that he was in contact with the advocate-general and would respond in detail after going through the court's order and reasons for suspending the notification.