An anti-terrorism court in Islamabad has issued a non-arrest warrant against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapura. Justice Tahir Abbas Supra presided over the hearing of the cases registered at Sangjani and I-9 police stations against the PTI founder and others.
Ali Nawaz Awan, Wasiq Qayyum, Amir Kayani and others appeared in the court, while exemption applications were filed for Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Amir Mughal. The court noted that since April 2024, Ali Amin had not attended the hearing, saying that arrest warrants would be issued for all absent defendants. The judge pointed out that the proceedings had become chaotic, some appeared and others did not, and therefore non-arrestable warrants are being issued for all absentees.
The honorable judge further noted that any defendant who fails to appear on July 8 will be declared a proclaimed offender. He specified that it is not necessary to wait thirty days for the court to declare him a fugitive. The judge said he intended to dismiss those cases, indicating that it would be in the defendants’ best interests to do so, as the cases would either proceed if they had merit or be dismissed otherwise. From July 8, hearings will be held daily.
The court rejected Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur’s plea to be exempted from his presence on the grounds of his absence and issued a non-arrestable warrant against him. Besides, the court sought a written reply from the Superintendent of Adiala Jail regarding the PTI founder’s appearance through video link and adjourned the hearing in both the cases till July 8.
Notably, a case has been registered at the Islamabad Industrial Area I-9 police station in connection with the protests in Islamabad following the disqualification of the PTI founder.
