PTI leader appears before judge; The procedure was abandoned by proclamation of the offender and the hearing was set for April 6.
Former Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Prime Minister Ali Amin Gandapur. Photo: Archive
ISLAMABAD:
An Islamabad district and sessions court on Friday indicted former Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur and co-accused Asad Farooq Khan in the audio leak case, while suspending Gandapur’s arrest warrants and ending proceedings against him as a proclaimed offender.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Nasr Minallah Baloch conducted the hearing, before which both Gandapur, accompanied by his lawyer Advocate Raja Zahoorul Hassan, and co-accused Asad Farooq Khan appeared in person.
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The judge questioned Gandapur over his repeated absences from court proceedings. “You have not appeared in court,” the judge said. Gandapur responded that he had not been able to attend due to the security situation, adding that on previous occasions roads had been closed and a curfew imposed. He also maintained that during the call in question he had only been asking about a license and said that his mobile phones had been seized during the raids.
The court noted that the case had dragged on for a long time without even being charged, and noted that a conviction cannot be obtained simply on the request of the prosecution if the accused appears before the court.
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Attorney Raja formally requested the cancellation of the arrest warrants, arguing that the court has the authority to do so once the accused appears before it. Judge Baloch agreed, canceling the orders and warning Gandapur.
“Arrest warrants are being canceled, but be careful in the future and appear in court,” he said. He further ordered that if a similar situation arises, Gandapur should file an application for exemption from appearance instead of remaining absent.
The court adjourned the hearing of the case until April 6.
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Last month, the District and Sessions Court issued non-bailable arrest warrants against Gandapur in the audio leak case, directing police to arrest him and produce him before the court.
The measure occurred after his absence from the hearing, which also led the court to begin efforts to declare him a fugitive.
The case in question was registered against Gandapur under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) at Golra police station. According to sources, the audio of the PTI leader talking about collecting weapons near Islamabad also became part of the case file and the police sought Gandapur physical remand to recover the weapons.
