PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Monday halted the arrest warrants issued against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and prohibited authorities from taking him into custody.
The hearing was conducted by a two-member bench consisting of Justice Ijaz Anwar and Justice Dr. Khurshid Iqbal. The petition was filed by Gandapur himself through his legal representative, Bashir Khan Wazir. During the proceedings, Wazir informed the court that Gandapur had secured protective bail in multiple cases from the Peshawar High Court. Nonetheless, in a separate matter, a senior civil judge in Islamabad issued arrest warrants on July 19, requiring Gandapur’s arrest and appearance by July 21.
Wazir argued that Gandapur was unaware of these warrants because no formal notice had been served to him. He added that Gandapur had been granted protective bail in several cases by the PHC and was actively participating in those proceedings. The lawyer explained that the warrants issued by Islamabad’s court and the hearing notices were not communicated to Gandapur promptly, and the court order was only received after the scheduled hearing date, making it impossible for him to appear.
The lawyer emphasized Gandapur’s position as the provincial chief executive and explained that appearing in Islamabad under the current circumstances was not practical, but he expressed the desire to cooperate and appear before the relevant court.
Requesting the suspension of the warrants, Wazir asked the court to restrain authorities from arresting Gandapur. The Peshawar High Court granted this request, suspending the warrants and ordering authorities to refrain from taking any action against him. The court also directed the petitioner to ensure his appearance before the appropriate court at the earliest opportunity.
