By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad court on Saturday indicted former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister and opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ali Amin Gandapur in a long-running case over leaked audio recordings, marking a key step forward in proceedings that have been repeatedly delayed by his absences.
The indictment came as another court in the capital reissued non-bailable arrest warrants for the province’s current chief minister, Sohail Afridi, in a separate case accusing him of making derogatory remarks against state institutions, showing mounting legal pressures on PTI figures in the restive northwestern region.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Nasr Minallah Baloch presided over the hearing in Gandapur’s case, where the PTI leader appeared alongside his co-accused, Asad Farooq Khan, and his lawyer, Advocate Raja Zahoorul Hassan. The session began with the judge questioning Gandapur on his repeated failures to appear, which had stalled the case for months. Gandapur told the court that security threats and road closures had prevented his attendance, describing conditions in some areas as resembling a curfew. He added that his mobile phone had been seized during raids on his residence.
Judge Baloch acknowledged the explanation but stressed that decisions on court appearances rest with the judiciary, not the accused. He noted that no conviction or punishment could be imposed solely at the prosecution’s behest and highlighted the case’s protracted timeline without a formal charge sheet. Gandapur’s counsel then sought the cancellation of outstanding arrest warrants, arguing that his client’s presence in court empowered the judge to lift them. The court agreed, suspending the warrants but issuing a stern caution: future non-appearances would not be tolerated, and any unavoidable absences should be addressed through prior exemption applications.
The judge also ended proceedings related to an advertisement declaring Gandapur an absconding suspect. With those preliminaries resolved, the court framed charges against both Gandapur and Khan in the audio leak matter. The pair stood in the dock as the indictment was read out, after which the hearing was adjourned until April 6. The case stems from audio recordings that purportedly feature Gandapur, though details of the content were not elaborated in Saturday’s proceedings.
Gandapur’s legal troubles extend beyond this matter. On February 9, an Islamabad court declared him a proclaimed offender in a separate case involving the recovery of liquor and arms, citing his persistent absences. Arrest warrants in that case have been issued multiple times, including on October 5, 2024, September 4, 2024, July 19, 2025, and September 10, 2025.
In the parallel development involving Afridi, Senior Civil Judge Muhammad Abbas Shah reissued non-bailable warrants after the chief minister again failed to appear in a case filed under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016. The complaint, lodged by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Authority (NCCIA) on November 9, 2025, alleges that Afridi made false and defamatory statements against state institutions during a media interaction outside Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail.
According to the first information report (FIR), Afridi accused security forces of bringing dogs into mosques in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and tying them there, an claim deemed to violate the sanctity of religious sites. An inquiry on November 8 concluded that Afridi and others had deliberately spread false, misleading and intimidating information with malicious intent. The FIR described the video as containing “offensive, profane, false, misleading and unfounded allegations” aimed at maligning state institutions and damaging their reputation.
Investigators further alleged that the content was part of a coordinated effort to erode public trust, incite unrest, promote racial hatred and threaten national security. They accused Afridi of creating and disseminating fake material on social media to provoke violence, panic and anti-state sentiments harmful to Pakistan’s stability. This marked the fourth issuance of non-bailable warrants in the case, following two in January and one on February 10.
Judge Shah ordered Afridi’s immediate arrest and production, criticizing his absences as without lawful excuse. During a January 28 hearing, the court had labeled Afridi’s non-appearances as a deliberate evasion and noted that he had been afforded ample chances to respond. Saturday’s hearing was adjourned to March 9. The cases against Gandapur and Afridi reflect broader tensions between PTI leaders and Pakistani authorities, amid ongoing disputes over governance and security in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a province bordering Afghanistan that has seen persistent militant activity.
Islamabad courts indict ex-KP chief minister Gandapur in audio leak case, reissue warrants for successor Afridi
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