ISLAMABAD: A district and sessions court in the federal capital has issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur in connection with a long-pending case involving the recovery of arms and liquor.
The order was issued on Wednesday by Judicial Magistrate Mubashir Hassan, who presided over the hearing. Gandapur failed to appear before the court, prompting the judge to direct authorities to arrest and produce him on November 11. The hearing was subsequently adjourned to the same date.
The case, registered at Bara Kahu Police Station in Islamabad, adds to the mounting legal troubles of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader, who was recently removed from his position as KP chief minister. The same court and magistrate had earlier issued a warrant against him in this matter earlier this month due to his persistent non-appearance.
Background of the Case
The case dates back to October 2016, when authorities reportedly recovered five Kalashnikov rifles, a pistol, six magazines, a bulletproof vest, three teargas shells, and bottles of alcohol from Gandapur’s vehicle. At the time, he was serving as a provincial minister in the KP government.
Police charged him under illegal arms and anti-narcotics laws, claiming the seized items were unlicensed and the liquor bottle was unlawful. However, Gandapur has consistently rejected the allegations, asserting that the weapons were duly licensed and that the supposed liquor bottle contained honey, not alcohol.
Nearly nine years later, the case continues to linger in the courts, repeatedly delayed due to Gandapur’s absence from proceedings.
