Daily Times

An anti-terrorism court in Islamabad has issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur. Meanwhile, the Peshawar High Court has imposed a directive prohibiting any arrest of Gandapur until October 5.

An anti-terrorism court in Islamabad issued non-bailable arrest warrants for KP Chief Minister Gandapur and several other PTI leaders, while also declaring PTI leader Umar Tanveer Butt absconder.

Judge Tahir Abbas Supra rejected Ali Amin’s pre-arrest bail request, which was linked to a terrorism case involving the attack and vandalism at the Judicial Complex, filed by I-9 police station. Ali Amin’s lawyer, Raja Zahoor Hassan, submitted an application requesting an exemption from Ali Amin’s appearance. The court dismissed the request, noting that an absence request had also been made on September, 4 followed by Ali Amin’s attendance at a rally on September 8.

Following his absence, the court denied Ali Amin’s bail application and issued non-bailable warrants for Ali Amin Gandapur, Wasif Qayyum Abbasi, Raja Rashid Hafeez, and Amir Mehmood Kiani. Umar Tanveer Butt was declared an absconder due to continuous absences from court proceedings. The court, however, accepted an exemption application from PTI leader Faisal Javed and adjourned the case until 3rd October. Later in the day, the Peshawar High Court issued a directive prohibiting the arrest of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur until October 5. The court’s written order from the previous hearing stipulates that details of all cases registered against the Chief Minister in federal and Punjab jurisdictions must be provided to the petitioner.

Additionally, if any arrest is to be made in connection with these cases, the court must be notified in advance. The court emphasized that as the Chief Executive of a province, the Chief Minister is entitled to be informed of and provided with details about the cases against him. This is in line with Article 10 of the Constitution, which mandates that individuals must be informed of charges against them. The ruling also noted that the petitioner faces political opposition from the federal and Punjab governments.