ISLAMABAD: A district and sessions court in Islamabad has issued an arrest warrant for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, ordering police to arrest and produce him before the court by Monday, July 21.
The warrant stems from a case related to illegal possession of arms and liquor, registered at the Bhara Kahu Police Station. Gandapur last appeared in court in June, where he sought relief on the grounds that he had been granted interim bail by the Peshawar High Court (PHC) until September 23. During that appearance, the court temporarily suspended his non-bailable arrest warrant after he promised to submit his statement under Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) following the presentation of the KP budget.
However, in today’s hearing, Judicial Magistrate Mubashir Hassan Chishti issued the arrest warrant under several sections of the Pakistan Penal Code — including Sections 143, 144, 145, and 440 — as well as Sections 13, 20, and 65 of the Arms Ordinance, 1965. These pertain to unlawful assembly, being armed with deadly weapons, and illegal possession and transportation of firearms.
The court noted that although Gandapur had obtained bail from the PHC, that order was not binding on the Islamabad court. It emphasized that the police’s execution of the arrest warrant would not conflict with the high court’s ruling, as it relates to a case that has been pending for over eight years in the capital.
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The judge also criticized the KP chief minister for deliberately delaying the trial by avoiding the submission of his statement, which has remained due for 14 months. The court warned that it would not keep the case pending indefinitely, and if Gandapur fails to appear and record his statement at the next hearing, a verdict could be issued in his absence.
The hearing has been adjourned until July 21, giving Gandapur what the court described as one final opportunity to comply.