Non-Bailable Warrant Issued After Repeated Court Absences
An Islamabad district and sessions court has issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. The warrant was authorized by Senior Civil Judge Abbas Shah on Wednesday due to Afridi’s repeated failure to appear in a case concerning alleged misleading statements against state institutions.
The court has directed law enforcement authorities to ensure the chief minister’s arrest and production before the judicial body. Proceedings have been adjourned until February 10.
Case Background and Legal Proceedings
The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) registered the case against CM Afridi under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA). The agency accuses him of making statements that allegedly harmed the reputation of state institutions.
This is not the only legal challenge facing the chief minister. He is also confronting proceedings in an anti-terrorism court related to his alleged involvement in a protest in Islamabad on November 26.
Election Commission Case and High Court Intervention
Separately, Chief Minister Afridi is involved in a case before the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) concerning an alleged violation of the code of conduct during a recent National Assembly by-election in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In a related development, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) has temporarily restrained the ECP from taking any final action against Afridi. This order pertains to a notice served over alleged threats to government officials during the Haripur by-election campaign.
A two-member PHC bench, comprising Justice Syed Arshad Ali and Justice Faheem Wali, heard a writ petition filed by the chief minister. His counsel, Bashir Khan Wazir, argued that the ECP had taken notice of a speech delivered outside the relevant constituency, maintaining that Afridi was on a province-wide tour announcing development projects.
The court has summoned the record of the ECP’s decision and adjourned the hearing briefly.
