An anti-terrorism court on Thursday issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and other Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) backed lawmakers in a case related to the November 26 violent protests.
The case against KP CM Sohail Afridi, provincial Information Minister Shafi Jan, MNA Shahid Ahmed Khattak and MPA Meena Khan Afridi was registered under terrorism and other charges at Ramna Police Station.
The ATC judge directed the Station House Officer of the Ramna Police Station to arrest the four suspects and produce them before it.
The November 26, 2024, protest was aimed at building pressure on the government to release the PTI founder Imran Khan.
The 73-year-old cricketer-turned-politician has been behind bars since August 2023 after he was booked in multiple cases ranging from corruption to terrorism since his ouster from power via the opposition's no-confidence motion in April 2022.
In another case related to the November 26 protests, ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra issued non-bailable arrest warrants for eight PTI-backed lawmakers in a case registered at Margalla Police Station.
In the case, non-bailable arrest warrants were issued for MNAs Shahid Khattak, Maulana Nasim Ali Shah, Aamir Dogar, Atif Khan and Iqbal Afridi, as well as MPAs Meena Khan Afridi, Dr Amjad and Shafi Jan.
The court directed the police to arrest all the suspects and produce them before it.
Later, arrest warrants were issued for the KP CM in four more cases related to the November 26 violent protests. The cases against the KP CM were registered at four different police stations in the federal capital.
Arrest warrants were issued for KP CM Afridi, Shahid Khattak, Salar Kakar, Saddam Tareen and Amjad Ali in a case registered at Kohsar Police Station.
Separately, arrest warrants were issued for CM Afridi, Junaid Akbar, Shahid Khattak and Atif in cases registered at Ramna and Karachi Company police stations.
Nine PTI leaders, including CM Afridi, face arrest warrants in a case registered at Aabpara Police Station.
The development came a day after the ATC upheld the arrest warrants for KP CM Afridi, Junaid Akbar, Abdul Ghani Afridi and others in the Nov 26 protest case, rejecting their requests for exemption from personal appearance, The News reported.
ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Supra had directed police to submit the challan against the suspects at the earliest and adjourned further hearing until September 30.
The court had taken the decision after the suspects repeatedly failed to appear during the proceedings.
It had rejected the exemption pleas filed on behalf of those who remained absent and continued proceedings against the chief minister and others.
The case was registered at Margalla Police Station against Sohail Afridi and others.
