An anti-terrorism Court (ATC) in Lahore issued non-accessible arrest warrants for Khyber-Pakhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and four other senior Pakistan Tehreek-In-Insaf (PTI) leaders in a case related to protests and clashes with police, Express News expressed Tuesday.

The case is related to PTI’s October 5, 2024 -Demonstration in Lahore, the capital of Punjab Province, where the party’s supporters allegedly dealt with violence against law enforcement authorities.

The court issued Warrants at the request of the Lahore police, who told the court that the defendants had repeatedly not joined the investigation.

Anti-Terrorism Court’s Administrative Judge Manzar Ali Yellow approved the police request and issued the non-accessible warrants.

Among the named are former federal minister and PTI leader Hammad Azhar with Saeed Sindhu and Shahbaz Ahmed.

The case was registered at Masti Gate Police Station.

On October 5, 2024, Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf (PTI) staged a major protest in Islamabad, led by senior party figures, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur. The demonstration was part of PTI’s ongoing campaign against the federal government, accused it of political victim, interference with provincial affairs and refused the party’s democratic rights.

When the PTI supporters entered the federal capital, tensions escalated between protesters and security forces. Violent clashes were reported near key spaces, including China Chowk when police tried to spread crowds.

In the midst of this turmoil, chief minister Gandapur – who had been at the forefront of the convoy – disappeared suddenly. CCTV recordings later showed that he entered the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa house in Islamabad, but left shortly afterwards in civilian clothes. His inexplicable absence triggered concern within the party and among the public.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly responded quickly and adopted an emergency resolution that condemns an attack on KP House and demanded Gandapur’s immediate release, provided he was detained. PTI leaders, including Asad Qaiser, issued public ultimatums and endangered nationwide protests if he was not produced within 24 hours.

However, the situation became murky when federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi declared that Gandapur was not in federal custody and had gone into hiding on his own. This claim only caused political tensions and speculation.

Gandapur reappeared the next day and addressed the KP assembly in Peshawar. In a fiery speech, he accused the federal government of targeting PTI leaders, violating the province’s autonomy and trying to erase the party’s political mandate. He defended the protest, condemned the crash, and promised to continue to resist what he called “Federal interference.”