PESHAWAR: National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) claims in a forensic report that the profile pictures of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mohammad Sohail Afridi and four others, purportedly related to the 2023 Radio Pakistan attack here, have probable match with their Computerised National Identity Cards.
A single-page report sent by a deputy director (technical) of Nadra, Islamabad, to its assistant director (LEA Cell) in Peshawar, on Feb 3, was submitted to an anti-terrorism court on Wednesday in the ongoing trial of accused persons in the Radio Pakistan ransacking and torching case.
However, when the report was submitted to the court, Judge Wali Mohammad Khan returned it to the investigation team, with the direction to submit a proper report with it including charge sheet on Feb 14, next date of hearing.
The report of Nadra, a copy of which is available with Dawn, is sequel to the last month forensic report of Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA), which had identified Mr Afridi as one of the suspects seen in the purported video clips of the incident provided by the investigation team to it on the order of court.
ATC orders Nadra to submit report with proper documents
The other four persons identified by PFSA in its report, and now by Nadra, include two former provincial ministers Taimur Saleem Jhagra and Kamran Khan Bangash, and two other leaders Irfan Saleem and Aamir Khan Chamkani.
In the Nadra’s report, carrying the subject “Identification of Accused”, it is stated that a USB was received consisting of five folders, which had been processed through Facial Recognition System (FRS).
About each of the five folders, the report mentioned CNIC numbers, apparently of the said five persons, claiming those were probable matches to their profile pictures. None of the five PTI leaders including Mr Afridi have been facing trial in the case.
The PFSA’ report had generated a legal controversy as Mr Afridi and other leaders, shown in the said video clips, had challenged its veracity claiming that those were not of the Radio Pakistan incident.
The court had ordered on Dec 12, 2025, forensic examination of relevant videos and facial recognition of accused persons through Nadra and PFSA.
Soon after the details of the PFSA’s report went viral on social media, several PTI leaders stated that those clips didn’t show the Radio Pakistan occurrence, which took place on May 10, 2023, after PTI founder Imran Khan was arrested in Islamabad.
Mr Jhagra had stated that the screenshots in the report had nothing to do with Radio Pakistan.
It is pertinent to mention that t Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation’s station director had requested for examination of the videos through PFSA Lahore for its genuineness, the presence and participation of individuals and facial recognition by Nadra for identification of accused in the occurrence, which took place during protests triggered after arrest of Imran Khan in May 2023.
The ATC is conducting the trial, with 75 accused, including some present and former lawmakers, being indicted on June 3, 2025, on multiple counts. The FIR of the occurrence was registered at East Cantonment police station on May 10, 2023.
The accused facing trial include provincial minister Meena Khan Afridi, MNA Asif Khan, MPAs Fazal Ilahi Khan and Arbab Waseem, who left PTI and joined PTI-Parliamentarian, and former MPAs Arbab Jehandad, Fida Gul and Wajid Khan.
Published in Dawn, February 5th, 2026
