• ATC separates proceedings against declared offenders from others.
• Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra issues arrest warrants against absentees.
• Initiates process to declare Aamer Kiani a declared perpetrator.

ISLAMABAD: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in the federal capital declared Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Umer Tanveer Butt proclaimed offenders on Wednesday.

Separating the case against the two from the rest of the accused, the court also initiated the process to declare PTI leader Aamer Mehmood Kiani also a proclaimed offender.

Postponing the case till January 15, ATC judge Tahir Abbas Sipra also issued arrest warrants for the accused, who were absent from the hearing.

The case relates to a first information report (FIR) registered at the I-9 police station in 2022 over a protest staged by PTI leaders against the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to disqualify party founder Imran Khan from holding public office.

The commission’s decision came on the back of Khan’s conviction in the first Toshakhana case – whose 14-year sentence was suspended by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) last April – in which he was accused of misusing his prime ministership from 2018 to 2022 to buy and sell government-held gifts received during visits abroad and worth more than Rs 140 million.

The electoral body’s move warranted a strong reaction from PTI workers who held nationwide protests against the decision.

Chaotic scenes were seen outside the ECP office where irate PTI workers gathered in large numbers and shouted slogans against the government.

Meanwhile, PTI leader Faisal Javed has filed a petition to remove anti-terror provisions from the case.

The latest development adds to the KP chief minister’s legal woes as the provincial chief was given a reprieve last week following the ATC’s decision to lift his arrest warrants – issued in December – in a case registered at the Hassan Abdal police station.

Besides suspending the arrest warrants, the court also quashed the case of declaring the chief minister a proclaimed offender.