• Judge orders immediate arrest, production of KP CM for repeatedly ignoring summons
• Ex-CM Gandapur indicted in audio leaks case; warrants suspended after appearance in court

ISLAMABAD: A local court in the federal capital on Saturday issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi in a case pertaining to scandalous remarks against state institutions, whereas his predecessor, Ali Amin Gandapur, was indicted by another court in an audio leaks case after the suspension of his warrants.

This is the fourth time the court has issued non-bailable arrest warrants for CM Afridi, with two issued in January and another on February 10. The case was registered on Nov 9, 2025, by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Aut­hority under the Prevention of Ele­c­t­ronic Crimes Act (Peca) 2016, following allegations that the KP CM made def­a­matory claims against state institutions.

During the hearing, Senior Civil Judge Muhammad Abbas Shah ordered the immediate arrest and production of CM Afridi, noting that the latter had consistently ignored multiple summons and remained absent without any lawful justification.

The court then adjourned the hearing until March 9.

On January 28, the court termed CM Afridi’s persistent non-appearance a deliberate attempt to evade the legal process and emphasised that he had been given multiple opportunities to appear and respond to the allegations.

According to the first information report (FIR), the CM made scandalous remarks during a media interaction outside Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail. He had accused security forces of violating the sanctity of holy places.

Following an inquiry conducted on November 8, the investigation authorities concluded that CM Afridi and others had “knowingly and deliberately, with mala fide intentions and ulterior motives”, made false, misleading, and intimidating statements against state institutions.

The investigating team had also acc­u­sed CM Afridi of preparing and circulating fake content on social media with the intention to incite violence, create panic and promote anti-state sentiments.

Gandapur indicted

Separately, former CM Ali Amin Gandapur appeared before a court on Saturday, where he was indicted by an additional district and sessions judge, Nasr Minallah Baloch, along with his co-accused.

Mr Gandapur, accompanied by his counsel, Advocate Raja Zahoorul Hassan, appeared before the court, along with his co-accused, Asad Farooq Khan.

At the outset of the hearing, the judge addressed the core issue that had stalled the proceedings: the repeated failure of the accused to appear. The court asked why he had not been presenting himself before the law.

Responding to the court’s query, Mr Gandapur cited serious security concerns and logistical hurdles for his absence.

“Due to the security situation and road closures, I could not appear,” the former CM said, adding that there was a prevailing situation akin to a curfew in certain areas, which prevented his travel to Islamabad.

He also informed the judge that his mobile phone had been taken during raids on his premises. Judge Nasr, while taking note of the explanation, reminded the accused that discretion regarding appearance lies with the court.

He emphasised that a conviction or punishment cannot be based merely on the prosecution’s request, and pointed out that the case had been ongoing for a considerable period without a formal indictment being filed.

The court also suspended the arrest warrants for Mr Gandapur after his counsel requested their cancellation, saying that his client had appeared before the court. However, the judge issued a warning, saying that he had cancelled the warrants but the PTI leader should ensure his appearance before the court in the future.

The judge also advised him that the proper legal channel would be to file an application for exemption from personal appearance beforehand.

Subsequently, the judge read out the charges and indicted both Ali Amin Gandapur and Asad Farooq Khan in the audio leak case. Both accused were present in the dock as the charges were framed against them.

After the indictment, the court adjourned the hearing of the case until April 6.

According to the FIR registered against Mr Gandapur at the Golra police station, the former CM in an audio leak could purportedly be heard using derogatory language against the federal coalition and hurling threats at government officials besides inciting the public against the government.

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2026