Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur to avoid being declared a proclaimed offender and non-bailable arrest warrants under a May 9 case today has appeared in the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Islamabad.
On this attendance, the court cancelled the arrest warrants.
The ATC on Tuesday issued non-bailable arrest warrants for the KP’s CM over not appearing in the said case since April. Gandapur pleaded for exemption from case hearing attendance. The ATIC Judge – Tahir Abbas Sipra – held proceedings in the cases against this CM, one Amir Mughal, and other PTI leaders including those who have abandoned it after the May 9, 2023, incidents.
Ali Nawaz Awan, Wasif Qayyum, Amir Kiani and others appeared in court, pleas were filed on behalf of CM Gandapur and Mughal seeking exemption from personal attendance citing that they were ‘out of the city.’ The judge rejected the plea noting that the accused persons were duty-bound to appear before the court at each hearing. The defence counsel requested the court to give another opportunity to Gandapur and assured the judge of his presence at the next hearing and Gandapur today appeared.
The court passed orders on a plea seeking suspension of the arrest warrant at the I-9 police station against Gandapur. The CM surrendered before the court, saying he could not appear for official engagements. He requested the court to cancel the arrest warrants. The court accepted the request and cancelled the warrants.
Similarly, the ATC Faisalabad also issued arrest warrants for the 25 PTI leaders including Ali Amin Gandapur, Murad Saeed, Hammad Azhar, Mian Aslam Iqbal and Ijaz Minhas. The court ordered JIT to arrest and present the 25 accused involved in the case on May 9 cases. Though the KP CM surrendered before the court and stated he was busy, he was busy to such an extent was surprising.
