The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) could not obtain immediate relief from the Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Monday regarding the oath-taking of newly elected Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi.

During the hearing, PTI General Secretary Salman Akram Raja and Additional Attorney-General appeared before the court, urging that the new chief minister be administered the oath the same day.

They argued that the province had been without a functioning government for the past five hours following the resignation of former chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur, which automatically dissolved the cabinet.

Salman Akram Raja requested the court to either nominate someone to administer the oath or direct the appropriate authority to do so.

Chief Justice S.M. Atiq Shah asked the additional attorney-general to verify from the Governor’s Secretariat whether Gandapur’s resignation had been officially received and whether the summary sent by the Speaker of the Provincial Assembly for the oath had reached the governor’s office.

Salman Raja informed the court that the Speaker himself was present and that the summary for the oath had already been dispatched.

The additional attorney-general stated that the constitution was clear — if the governor refuses to administer the oath, Article 255 would apply.

However, he added that it was still uncertain whether the summary had been received by the governor.

Chief Justice Atiq remarked that the governor’s opinion was essential, saying, “Once the governor’s view is received, the court can take further action. A similar case was previously filed against me regarding the oath-taking of reserved-seat members.”

At one point, Raja argued that the oath of assembly members and that of a chief minister were different, but the chief justice disagreed, saying, “An oath is an oath — whether it is of a chief minister or an assembly member.”

Following the discussion, the court adjourned the hearing until Tuesday, directing that the governor’s position on the matter be clarified by then.