Islamabad court issues arrest warrants for Ali Amin Gandapur

An Islamabad sessions court on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur in an audio leak case. The order was made after Gandapur and a co-accused failed to appear for the day's hearing.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Hakim Khan Bukhari presided over the matter at the District and Sessions Courts Islamabad. When the case was called, neither Gandapur nor the co-accused was present in court. Because of their absence, witnesses who had been scheduled to record statements could not be examined. The judge noted the non-appearance and directed that arrest warrants be issued for Gandapur. The court then adjourned further proceedings until October 17.

The audio leak case against Gandapur is registered at Golra Police Station in Islamabad. Gandapur, a leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, previously served as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister. Both Daily Times and The Express Tribune reported the court's order. The reports did not describe the contents of the leaked audio or specify the nature of the allegations beyond the audio leak case.

According to the reports, the hearing could not move forward as scheduled because the witnesses were unable to record their statements in the absence of the accused. The court had fixed Tuesday for the recording of witness statements. After recording the non-appearance, the judge issued the arrest warrants for Gandapur and adjourned the case.

It was not immediately clear whether the co-accused also faces arrest warrants; the reports mentioned only the warrants issued for Gandapur. The next hearing in the case is set for October 17. The former chief minister has not publicly commented on the court's action. The Islamabad police are responsible for executing the warrants. A copy of the court order was not immediately available for review, and the co-accused was not named in the reports.