The District and Sessions Court of Islamabad on Saturday upheld the arrest warrants against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister (CM) Sohail Afridi in a case linked to alleged misleading accusations against state institutions.
The court noted that the accused was absent and had not been produced despite earlier directions, leading to further delay in proceedings.
The hearing took place at the District and Sessions Courts in Islamabad, where Senior Civil Judge Abbas Shah presided over the case. The court was informed that CM Sohail Afridi could not be arrested and presented before the court.
The judge ordered that the arrest warrants remain in force and directed the authorities to ensure the arrest and production of the accused at the next hearing. The court stressed that compliance with its orders was required to move the case forward.
According to the case record, Sohail Afridi is facing allegations of making statements that allegedly misled the public and harmed the credibility of state institutions. The case has been registered under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA).
The prosecution informed the court that the case was registered by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency under relevant sections of the law. After hearing the brief submissions, the court adjourned further proceedings until March 9.
The District and Sessions Court of Islamabad held proceedings in the audio leak case against former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, where the court framed charges against him and a co-accused, while suspending earlier arrest warrants.
The court also ended the proclaimed offender proceedings after the accused appeared before the bench.
The hearing was held by Additional District and Sessions Judge Nasr Minallah Baloch. Ali Amin Gandapur appeared in court along with his counsel, Raja Zahoor-ul-Hassan Advocate. Co-accused Asad Farooq Khan also attended the hearing.
During the proceedings, the court formally framed charges against Ali Amin Gandapur and Asad Farooq Khan in the audio leak case. The judge also ordered the suspension of Ali Amin Gandapur’s arrest warrants and terminated the process, declaring him an absconder.
The court questioned the accused over his repeated absence from earlier hearings. Ali Amin Gandapur told the court that security conditions had prevented him from attending.
Judge Nasr Minallah Baloch remarked that no conviction could be based only on the prosecution’s request and noted that the case had been pending for a long time without charges being framed.
Defense counsel requested cancellation of the arrest warrants, arguing that the court had the authority to withdraw them once the accused appeared. Accepting the request, the judge cancelled the warrants and advised the accused to ensure regular attendance. The court directed that exemption requests be filed if attendance becomes difficult. The hearing was adjourned until April 6.
ATC adjourns hearing in May 9 cases till Mar 14
A special court of the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Rawalpindi adjourned the hearing of 11 cases related to the May 9 incidents till March 14 without proceedings.
Former federal minister Shireen Mazari and other accused appeared before the court and were allowed to leave after marking attendance.
Speaking briefly to the media outside the courtroom, Shireen Mazari said their appeals have been admitted for hearing, but no date has been fixed for suspension of sentence. She added that appeals can take years to conclude and expressed concern over the ongoing legal process.