PESHAWAR: A court in Peshawar has issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sohail Afridi in a case related to alleged defamatory remarks against state institutions and accusations of damaging their reputation.
The warrants were issued by Senior Civil Judge Abbas Shah during proceedings of a case registered under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA). The complaint was filed by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), which alleges that the chief minister made misleading statements targeting state institutions.
During the hearing, the court expressed strong displeasure over the absence of the accused and ordered authorities to arrest and present him before the court. The judge subsequently adjourned the hearing until June 29.
Legal proceedings against Afridi include allegations of spreading misleading claims and undermining the credibility of state institutions, charges that have intensified political tensions in the province.
The development comes at a politically sensitive moment, as the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is scheduled to present its annual budget in the provincial assembly on June 19. The timing has further heightened political uncertainty and raised the temperature in the province’s already charged political environment.
