PTI leader appears before judge; the trial as a declared perpetrator dropped, the hearing set for April 6
Former Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur. Photo: File
ISLAMABAD:
A District and Sessions Court in Islamabad on Friday indicted former Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and co-accused Asad Farooq Khan in the audio leak case, while simultaneously suspending Gandapur’s arrest warrants and closing the case against him as a declared perpetrator.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Nasr Minallah Baloch presided over the hearing before whom both Gandapur, accompanied by his counsel Advocate Raja Zahoorul Hassan, and co-accused Asad Farooq Khan appeared in person.
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The judge questioned Gandapur about his repeated absences from the trial. “You have not appeared in court,” said the judge. Gandapur replied that he had been unable to attend due to the security situation, adding that roads had been closed and curfews imposed on previous occasions. He also maintained that he had only asked for a license during the call in question and said his mobile phones had been seized during raids.
The court noted that the case had dragged on for a long time without any charges being brought and noted that a conviction cannot be secured solely on the request of the prosecution if the accused appears in court.
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Advocate Raja formally sought the cancellation of arrest warrants, arguing that the court has the authority to do so when an accused appears before it. Judge Baloch agreed and quashed the orders while warning Gandapur.
“The orders are being quashed, but be careful in future and appear in court,” he said. He further directed that if a similar situation arises, Gandapur should file an application for exemption from appearance instead of remaining absent.
The court adjourned further consideration of the case until April 6.
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Last month, the District and Sessions Court issued arrest warrants against Gandapur in the audio leak case, ordering the police to arrest him and produce him before the court.
The move followed his failure to appear at the court hearing, which also led to the court starting to take steps 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 the collection of arms near Islamabad had also been made part of the case record and the police sought Gandapur’s physical custody to recover arms.
