Politics

On Wednesday, a district and sessions court in Islamabad reissued an arrest warrant for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur in connection with an illegal arms and liquor case, following his failure to appear before the court. This case, which originated in October 2016, alleges that the PTI leader possessed illegal arms and liquor after the Islamabad police reported the recovery of five Kalashnikov rifles, a pistol, six magazines, a bulletproof vest, alcohol, and three tear gas shells from his vehicle outside Bani Gala. Gandapur has refuted the police’s claims, stating that he had two licensed Kalashnikov rifles and that the vehicle had a valid arms license. He also contended that the liquor bottle in question actually contained honey. As per the court order—a copy of which is accessible through Dawn.com—Judicial Magistrate Mubashir Hassan Chishti instructed that the KP CM be arrested and brought before the court on September 17. The judge issued this order after no representative appeared on behalf of the KP chief minister. Subsequently, Gandapur’s attorney, Raja Zahoor-ul-Hassan, appeared in court and requested the suspension of the arrest warrant. In response, the judge remarked, “If you present the accused, I will withdraw the warrant,” and denied the request. The arrest warrant was issued under Sections 143 (punishment for joining unlawful assembly), 144 (joining unlawful assembly armed with deadly weapon), 145 (joining or continuing in unlawful assembly, knowing it has been commanded to disperse), and 440 (mischief committed after preparation made causing death or hurt) of the Pakistan Penal Code, in conjunction with Sections 13 (penalty for breaching sections 4, 5, 8 and 11), 20 (power to confiscate), and 65 of the Arms Ordinance, 1965. Sections 4, 5, 8, and 11 of the ordinance address the prohibition of the unlicensed sale and repair of firearms, the ban of their transportation, the prohibition of being armed without a license, and the authority to establish rules regarding permits. On July 19, the court issued an arrest warrant for the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to his failure to appear before the judge in connection with the same case. However, on July 29, following the Chief Minister’s appearance in court, the arrest warrant was rescinded. The court recognized that his duties as chief minister had impeded his ability to attend. On that same day, outside the courtroom, Gandapur spoke to the media and characterized the case as “politically motivated.”