Islamabad court issues default warrants as Afridi prepares for Karachi visit on January 9
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. SCREEN CAPTURE
An Islamabad court on Saturday issued non-bailable arrest warrants against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi in a case involving alleged misleading statements against state institutions.
Senior Civil Judge Abbas Shah of the Islamabad District and Sessions Court issued the orders after Afridi failed to appear before the court during the hearing.
The case relates to allegations that Afridi made misleading comments against state institutions and damaged their credibility. The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency registered the case under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016.
Read: PTI moves mobilization to the south
PECA is Pakistan’s main legal framework dealing with cybercrime, data protection and electronic crimes.
The court ordered authorities to arrest Afridi and produce him before the court. The hearing was adjourned until January 17.
The development comes as Afridi prepares to take the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf street movement to Sindh. After a three-day visit to Punjab as part of the campaign, he sent a two-page protest letter to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.
Read more: Afridi writes to Maryam about ‘hostile treatment’
Afridi is scheduled to visit Karachi on January 9 as part of the next phase of the campaign.
The PTI announced the street movement across the country after party founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife were sentenced to 17 years in prison in the Toshakhana-II case. Imran Khan has ordered Afridi to build momentum for a grand show of power scheduled for February 8.
