ISLAMABAD: A local court on Saturday indicted former chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur in the audio leak case and suspended his arrest warrants.
Additional Session Judge Nasruminallah Baloch, while hearing the case framed charge against Gandapur and co-accused Asad Farooq Khan as well as suspended his arrest warrant and terminated the proceedings to declare him as proclaimed offender.
Gandapur appeared before the court along with his counsel, Raja Zahoor ul Hassan, Advocate. Co-accused Asad Farooq Khan also appeared in court.
During the hearing, the court questioned Gandapur over his previous non-appearance in response, stating that he could not attend court due to security concerns and curfew, which had resulted in road closures.
Gandapur maintained that during the alleged call he was only inquiring about a license. He further stated that his mobile phones had been taken during raids.
The judge remarked that a conviction could not be handed down merely at the request of the prosecution. The court observed that the case had been pending for a long time and charges had not been framed earlier.
Defence counsel Raja Zahoor ul Hassan requested the court to cancel the arrest warrants, arguing that the court has the authority to do so once an accused appears before it.
The judge subsequently cancelled the warrants, directing Gandapur to exercise caution in the future and ensure his attendance at court. The court further advised that in case of any such situation in the future, an application for exemption from appearance should be filed.
The court adjourned hearing of the case until April 6.
The case was registered against the PTI leader at Islamabad’s Golra police station.
The FIR also invoked Sections 120B (punishment of criminal conspiracy), 121 (waging or attempting to wage war or abetting waging of war against Pakistan), 121A (conspiracy to commit offences punishable by Section 121), 122 (collecting arms, etc, with intention of waging war against Pakistan), 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and Section 16 of Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) ordinance.
The FIR said that an audio was aired on a private news channel in which two persons were heard talking about weapons.
Taking to media after appearing before the court Gandapur said that if the internal and external affairs of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had been better managed, the party’s founding chairman would not be in jail today. “If the party’s internal and external matters had been handled more effectively, such a popular leader would not have been imprisoned,” he said.
He criticized the country’s system, saying there was no justice, law, or constitution, while also admitting that mistakes had been made within the party. “I also hold myself accountable,” he said, adding that he had often questioned how a leader with such public support could be incarcerated.
He said the party had earlier mounted strong pressure for Khan’s release but had now shifted from demanding his “release” to seeking “access” and even “medical treatment.”
Responding to a question about his silence after being removed from the post of chief minister, Gandapur said he currently holds no party position. He said he had been active while serving as provincial president and chief minister, but at present he was merely an ordinary party worker.
Meanwhile, another local court maintained the non-bailable arrest warrants for Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sohail Afridi in a case registered against him by National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) over alleged misleading remarks about the state institutions.
Senior Civil Judge Abbas Shah while hearing the case, issued warrants against CM Afridi after he repeatedly failed to attend the court proceedings. The court ordered the police to take Afridi into custody and present him before the court.
The court adjourned the hearing of the case till March 9.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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