An Islamabad court on Thursday upheld a non-bailable KP CM arrest warrant for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and directed the authorities to take him into custody and present him before the bench. The District and Sessions Court of Islamabad kept the warrants in force after Afridi did not appear for the hearing. Judicial Magistrate Malik Aman heard the matter.
The case, brought by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA)—the federal body that investigates online and cyber offences—is registered under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), Pakistan’s main law on electronic and online crimes. Prosecutors allege that Afridi made misleading accusations against state institutions and sought to damage their reputation.
Warrants kept after the chief minister’s absence
During Thursday’s hearing, the court maintained the non-bailable arrest warrants because of the KP chief minister’s absence. Non-bailable warrants mean the court has ordered arrest without treating the offence as one where bail is routinely available at the first stage. The magistrate also instructed the authorities to arrest Afridi and produce him in court.
The order keeps legal pressure on the sitting provincial chief executive while the PECA matter continues in the capital. The KP CM arrest warrant remains active until the court changes that position.
What the PECA complaint covers
According to the case outline before the court, the complaint centres on statements said to target state institutions and to harm their standing. The NCCIA registered the matter under PECA. The court did not, in the material available from Thursday’s hearing, set out a detailed public record of each contested statement; the live issue was Afridi’s non-appearance and the status of the warrants.
Next hearing set for November 15
After hearing the matter, the court adjourned further proceedings until November 15. The non-bailable arrest warrants stay in force in the meantime. The court directed the authorities to ensure Sohail Afridi’s appearance at that next hearing.
Until then, the Islamabad court case status turns on whether the chief minister is produced as ordered and how the PECA allegations are argued once he is before the magistrate.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Islamabad ki adalat ne KP ke Wazir-e-Ala Sohail Afridi ke khilaf na-qabil-e-zamanat giraftari ke warrant bahal rakhe hain. Woh peish nahi hue, is liye adalat ne unhen pakar kar le aane ka hukum diya. Yeh case PECA ke tehat state institutions ke khilaf bayanat se judi ilzamat par hai. Agli sunwai 15 November ko hai; tab tak warrant jari hain.
