By Urdu Report Editorial Team
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi is busy preparing for the September 27 Islamabad march, while hearings in cases registered against him and other Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders have also accelerated. Arrest warrants have already been issued for several leaders.
An Islamabad Anti-Terrorism Court has rejected exemption-from-appearance pleas filed by Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, PTI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa President Junaid Akbar, Provincial Minister Dr Amjad, MPA Ghani Khan Afridi and others. The court has maintained their non-bailable arrest warrants.
The case concerns alleged vandalism during the November 26 protest and was registered at Margalla Police Station. The court has also begun proceedings to declare the chief minister and other nominated suspects proclaimed offenders.
Proceedings in Another November 26 Case
In another November 26 case before the Islamabad Anti-Terrorism Court, the recording of witness statements has also begun. Statements from 42 witnesses have been recorded so far.
Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, Provincial Minister Meena Khan Afridi, Provincial Minister Dr Amjad and other PTI leaders have been nominated in this case.
How Many Cases Are Registered Against Sohail Afridi
After Sohail Afridi became chief minister, details of cases registered against him also began to emerge.
Following forensic and National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) reports, Peshawar Police under his administration nominated him and other PTI leaders in the Radio Pakistan attack case related to May 9. The case is currently being heard by the Anti-Terrorism Court in Peshawar.
The Radio Pakistan lawyer has also filed an application seeking to transfer the case from Peshawar to Islamabad.
In addition to the Peshawar case, two cases related to the November 26 protest have been registered against Sohail Afridi in Islamabad. Both cases are currently being heard by the Anti-Terrorism Court.
Non-bailable arrest warrants have been issued in one of the cases, while witness statements are being recorded in the other.
Apart from cases before Anti-Terrorism Courts, two First Information Reports (FIRs) have also been registered against Sohail Afridi with Islamabad’s cybercrime wing.
His key associates have also been nominated in the same cases, including Junaid Akbar, Meena Khan Afridi, Dr Amjad and others.
Why Are PTI Leaders Concerned About the Cases
PTI is currently preparing for its Islamabad long march, and party leaders appear concerned about the cases against them.
A PTI leader said that such cases had been used from the beginning to put pressure on PTI leaders. The leader expressed concern that arrests could begin as the date of the march approaches and that travel to Islamabad or another province could result in the arrest of key leaders.
The leader also said that the chief minister had instructed his close associates to avoid travelling to Islamabad and to preferably remain in the province.
Meanwhile, the speaker of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly has summoned a session. The session is being held on Friday after previously being adjourned until September 21.
PTI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Deputy Information Secretary Ikram Kathana said that whenever there is talk of a long march or protest, various tactics are used to apply pressure.
He said the process of registering cases and accelerating hearings had been continuing since the tenure of Ali Amin Gandapur, adding that PTI had not been afraid then and would not be afraid now.
He said PTI had held peaceful protests in the past and that the upcoming long march would also be peaceful. According to him, the party would hold its protest peacefully within the limits of the Constitution and law, which he described as its constitutional right.
PTI and Legal Experts Offer Different Views
According to PTI, the May 9 and November 26 cases are political in nature and party leaders were not involved in those incidents.
Legal experts, however, say courts decide cases on the basis of evidence and that strong evidence exists in some of the cases.
Senior Peshawar lawyer Shabbir Hussain Gigyani, who is also the lawyer for Radio Pakistan in the attack case, said Sohail Afridi, Taimur Jhagra, Meena Khan and others were nominated in the FIR when Sohail Afridi himself was serving as chief minister.
