Court Issues Arrest Warrants for Ex-KP CM Ali Amin Gandapur

ISLAMABAD - In a significant legal escalation, an Islamabad court on Monday issued non-bailable arrest warrants against former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur in a long-running liquor and illegal arms recovery case and directed police to publish public notices to declare him a proclaimed offender.

The District and Sessions Court, presided over by Judicial Magistrate Mubashir Hassan Chishti, took the tough stance after Gandapur repeatedly failed to appear before the bench despite multiple summons in the nearly decade-old case.

“The accused’s continued non-appearance has caused undue delay in judicial proceedings,” the court noted, underscoring the need for decisive action.

Under Section 87 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), the bench ordered police to begin the formal process of proclamation, including placing advertisements in leading national newspapers to alert the public and law enforcement that Gandapur should be declared a proclaimed offender if he continues to evade the law.

The bail-refusing warrants stem from a case lodged in October 2016 at the Bara Kahu Police Station, when authorities claimed they recovered five Kalashnikov rifles, a pistol, six magazines, a bulletproof vest, alcohol and tear gas shells from a vehicle linked to Gandapur near Bani Gala.

Gandapur has denied the allegations, insisting the weapons were licensed or belonged to his security detail and that the bottle of liquor was actually honey, according to his camp.

The court also reiterated instructions for police to arrest Gandapur and produce him before the court, adjourning the next hearing to January 7.

Legal analysts told Business Recorder and The Tribune that the move reflects mounting judicial frustration over repeated absences by the former provincial leader and could pave the way for tougher enforcement measures if Gandapur remains elusive.

Supporters of Gandapur, a senior figure in the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), have blasted the proceedings as politically motivated, a claim the courts and prosecution deny. The hearing now shifts to follow-up action on the published notices and execution of the warrants.

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