ISLAMABAD (MNN); An Islamabad court on Wednesday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi in a case related to alleged misleading statements against state institutions.
The case has been registered with the National Cyber Crime Investigation Authority (NCCIA) under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA). The chief minister is accused of making statements on electronic platforms that allegedly harmed the reputation of state institutions.
Senior Civil Judge Abbas Shah, while presiding over the proceedings, noted that the KP chief minister had failed to appear before the court despite repeated summons. Taking notice of his continued absence, the judge ordered his arrest and directed the relevant authorities to ensure his production before the court.
The hearing of the case has been adjourned until February 10.
During an earlier hearing on January 4, the court had also issued a non-bailable arrest warrant after the chief minister repeatedly failed to attend proceedings. Judge Shah had observed that Afridi ignored court summons without providing any lawful justification for his absence.
The court noted that despite being granted multiple opportunities to present his stance and respond to the allegations, the chief minister did not comply with judicial orders. The court termed his continued non-appearance a deliberate attempt to evade the legal process and warned that strict action would follow if court directives continued to be ignored.
