ISLAMABAD: A local court on Monday reissued non-bailable arrest warrants for Khyber Pakhtun­khwa Chief Minister Soh­ail Afridi over his continued failure to appear in a case registered under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca).

Senior Civil Judge Muhammad Abbas Shah directed the authorities concerned to arrest CM Afridi and produce him before the court. The order was passed after the chief minister failed to appear despite being summoned for the hearing.

The case was registered by the National Cyber Cri­me Investigation Agency (NCCIA), formerly known as the cybercrime wing of the FIA, over allegations of content deemed misleading against state institutions.

Expressing displeasure over the repeated absence of the accused, the court reissued the non-bailable warrants and adjourned further proceedings until June 18.

Physical remand

In a separate case, the same court handed vlogger Sohrab Barkat over to the NCCIA on a four-day physical remand.

The investigating agency produced the accused before the court and sought his physical custody for interrogation. After hearing the request, Judge Abbas Shah approved the four-day remand.

According to the agency, a case has been registered against Mr Barkat under relevant cybercr­i­­me laws. Investigators alleged that he uploaded a YouTube video related to the Joint Action Committee, which led to the registration of the case.

Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2026