Arrest warrant issued for CM Gandapur in arms and liquor case

An Islamabad court on Wednesday reissued an arrest warrant for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur after he failed to appear in an illegal arms and liquor case.

Judicial Magistrate Mubashir Hassan Chishti ordered that the chief minister be taken into custody and produced before the court on September 17.

The case dates back to October 2016, when Islamabad police claimed that they had seized five Kalashnikov rifles, a pistol, six magazines, a bulletproof vest, alcohol and three tear gas shells from a vehicle linked to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader near Bani Gala.

Also Read: Islamabad court orders arrest of KP chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur

Gandapur has, however, rejected the allegations, insisting that only two licensed Kalashnikovs were in the vehicle and that valid licences were available. He has also maintained that the bottle identified by police as liquor actually contained honey.

At the previous hearing, the magistrate noted that the case has remained pending for nearly eight years. The prosecution completed witness testimonies in May 2024, but the accused has yet to record his statement under Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

The court stressed that sufficient opportunities had been provided and warned that judgment could be delivered in Gandapur’s absence if he failed to appear.