SC adjourns hearing of challenge to 25th Amendment till next month

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday heard a petition challenging the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, ARY News reported.

The 25th Amendment was passed by the Parliament in May 2018 through which the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) were merged in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The constitutional petition was filed by the elders of the former tribal areas through Barrister Wasim Sajjad challenging the merger of their area to KP.

The federal government and the provincial government Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa had raised objections over the petition.

Barrister Wasim Sajjad said in the court hearing that he had submitted written reply to the objections on the maintainability of the petition raised by Attorney General Khalid Javed and the Advocate General KP.

The petitioners’ counsel pleaded to the bench to hear the merit of the petition and then decide on the plea. The court granted request of the petitioners’ counsel.

Wasim Sajjad sought time from the court saying he will present his arguments on the merit in next hearing of the case.

The bench directed that the counsel should submit the summary of the arguments in the court.

A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial heard the case. The court adjourned further hearing till the next month.