- Orders issued against Wasiq Abbasi, Aamer Kiani and Raja Rashid.
- Court declares former PTI leader Umer Butt a fugitive.
- ATC approves Faisal Javed's request for exemption from appearance.
ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad on Saturday issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and three other politicians on terrorism charges in the case related to vandalism at the Islamabad Judicial Complex.
Some of the current and former leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have been booked in a case on terrorism charges at I-9 police station in Islamabad.
Apart from Gandapur, the court issued non-bailable arrest warrants for former Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Wasiq Qayyum Abbasi, Istehkam-e-Pakistan leader Aamer Mehmood Kiani and PTI leader Raja Rashid Hafeez among them.
He also declared former PTI leader Umer Tanveer Butt a fugitive due to his continued absence from the proceedings of the case.
However, the court allowed PTI leader Faisal Javed's plea for exemption from appearing in the hearing of the case.
ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra, while issuing the arrest warrant for Gandapur, rejected his bail plea, saying relief could not be provided every time without a solid reason.
The defendant's lawyer informed the judge that the KP chief minister had told him that he could not appear in court due to road closures.
“The court should grant a [more] Opportunity, Ali Amin will do it [definitely] “We must appear before the court,” the lawyer said. To which the judge replied that he had fixed the date of hearing at Gandapur's discretion last time as well, but it had been of no use.
Judge Spira subsequently adjourned the hearing of the case until October 3.
The arrest warrant against Gandapur comes ahead of the much-hyped PTI show in Lahore, which is scheduled to take place today at 3 pm under strict conditions imposed by the district administration. The KP CM is leading a caravan of PTI supporters from DI Khan to Lahore to participate in the Kahna rally.
PHC prevents authorities from arresting Gandapur
Meanwhile, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) granted the KP CM protective bail, directing the concerned authorities to prevent his arrest in all provinces till October 5.
The court issued a detailed order shortly after the Islamabad court issued the arrest warrant.
The order said the petitioner had expressed fear of being arrested in the federal capital and Punjab as he is a nominee in a multitude of cases there.
“The petitioner has sought information about all the cases filed against him in the federal capital and Punjab. He considers all the cases to be politically motivated and mala fide,” the order said, adding that every citizen has the right to know about the cases filed against him before his arrest.
The PHC said the applicant had applied for bail to appear before the relevant courts. As he was a public representative, he could not go into hiding.
Riots at the court complex
On 18 March 2023, PTI workers suddenly started pelting stones at authorities inside the premises of Federal Court Complex during the appearance of PTI founder Imran Khan before different courts in connection with multiple cases filed against him.
The former prime minister came with hordes of people, who had wooden sticks and stones in their hands, from the opposite side of the road, violating Section 144.
The incident resulted in injuries to 52 policemen and other support force personnel, the police said, adding that PTI workers also damaged 12 vehicles of the Islamabad police.
Three police vehicles of Punjab Police and Frontier Corps (FC) were also damaged by the agitating workers. The workers also set ablaze four federal police vehicles which were completely burnt down, the police added.
Later, a case of terrorism was registered against PTI workers at the anti-terrorism department (CTD) police station for vandalism.
Islamabad police have also registered an FIR against the PTI chief and other party leaders for their alleged involvement in attacks on policemen, burning of vehicles and destruction of property.
