- High court also directs the court must be notified in advance if any arrest is to be made in connection any case
ISLAMABAD: The Anti-Terrorism Court Islamabad on Saturday issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur while the Peshawar High Court prohibited his arrest in any case until October 5.
The Islamabad ATC issued non-bailable arrest warrants for KP Chief Minister Gandapur along with several other PTI leaders while declared PTI leader Umar Tanveer Butt as absconder.
ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Supra rejected Gandapur’s pre-arrest bail request in the attack and vandalism at the Judicial Complex, registered by I-9 police station.
As proceeding on Saturday, Advocate Raja Zahoor Hassan, the counsel for Gandapur, submitted an application requesting for his client’s exemption from personnel appearance.
The court dismissed the request, noting that a similar request had also been made on September, 4 followed by Ali Amin’s attendance at a rally on September 8.
Turning the request, the court issued non-bailable warrants for Ali Amin Gandapur, Wasif Qayyum Abbasi, Raja Rashid Hafeez, and Amir Mehmood Kiani while declared Umar Tanveer Butt an absconder for continuous absence from court proceedings.
The court, however, accepted the exemption application of PTI leader Faisal Javed and adjourned the case until October 3.
PHC prohibits arrest of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CM until October 5
In a later development in the day, the Peshawar High Court issued an order prohibiting the arrest of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur until October 5.
The court issued a written order on the previous hearing, seeking details of all cases registered against the KP Chief Minister in federal and Punjab jurisdictions.
Additionally, the PHC directed if any arrest is to be made in connection with these cases, the court must be notified in advance.
Citing Article 10 of the Constitution, which mandates individuals must be informed of charges against them, the court emphasized that as the Chief Executive of a province, Gandapur must be informed of and provided with details about the cases against him.
The PHC ruling noted that the petitioner faced with political opposition from the federal and Punjab governments and as a representative of his province, the Chief Minister is not a fugitive and cannot be treated as such.
Copies of the order have been sent to the registrars of the Islamabad and Lahore High Courts.
