An Islamabad district and sessions court issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Wednesday in connection with allegations regarding state institutions. The case stems from accusations that Afridi made misleading remarks damaging the credibility of these entities. The National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency registered the complaint under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) 2016.
Senior Civil Judge Abbas Shah presided over the hearing and noted the chief minister’s absence during proceedings. He subsequently ordered the issuance of non-bailable warrants to compel Afridi’s presence, directing authorities to arrest him and produce before the court for his failure to appear. The judge adjourned the matter until February 10, instructing authorities to comply with the order and submit a report on the execution of the warrants at their next hearing.
In response to the warrants, Afridi asserted that he was being targeted politically, citing efforts aimed at undermining him and his party through allegations linking him to crimes, drug trafficking, smuggling, and terrorism. On X, he described these as part of a strategy to block an upcoming protest planned for February 8.
Afridi claimed there were attempts to include him in cases linked to unrest on May 9, but noted that efforts against other parties have failed. He also defended himself by asserting responsibility for the May 9 unrest and accused others of using “unethical tactics” against his party.
In a statement, Shafi Jan, the special assistant to K-P CM for information, criticized the arrest warrants, accusing authorities of obstructing an upcoming protest through legal means. He argued that the public was fed up with what he called negative political actors and that they should engage in dialogue with Imran Khan instead.
Shafi further accused Afridi’s opponents of resorting to “cheap tactics” to revive their political careers.