Islamabad Court Orders Arrest of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CM Gandapur in Liquor and Arms Case

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On July 19, 2025, an Islamabad court issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur in a 2016 case involving alleged liquor and illegal arms possession, rejecting his plea for exemption from court appearance. The ruling, a blow to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader, escalates political tensions as he faces mounting legal challenges.

The case originates from an October 2016 incident when Islamabad police claimed to have recovered five Kalashnikov rifles, a pistol, six magazines, a bulletproof vest, three tear gas shells, and a bottle of liquor from a vehicle linked to Gandapur near Bani Gala. Gandapur, then a provincial minister, denied the allegations, insisting the weapons were licensed and the bottle contained honey, not alcohol. Judicial Magistrate Mubashir Hassan Chishti, frustrated by Gandapur’s repeated absences, ordered the Station House Officer (SHO) to arrest and present him by July 21, 2025, noting the case’s eight-year delay (The Express Tribune, July 20, 2025). The court dismissed arguments from Gandapur’s lawyer, Raja Zahoorul Hassan, who cited protective bail from the Peshawar High Court (PHC) until September 23, asserting it did not apply here.

This legal setback coincides with PTI’s turbulent political campaign, as Gandapur recently announced a “do-or-die” protest movement set to peak by August 5, per directives from jailed PTI founder Imran Khan (The News, July 20, 2025). The timing fuels speculation of political motives behind the case’s revival, with Gandapur’s team decrying it as a tactic to weaken PTI’s momentum. “The charges are baseless; this is harassment,” a PTI spokesperson claimed (@peshavar, X post, July 19, 2025). Yet, the court emphasized that Gandapur’s failure to record his statement under Section 342 risks a verdict in his absence.

The arrest order underscores broader issues of accountability and judicial independence in Pakistan. As Gandapur navigates his role as KP’s chief executive, this case tests PTI’s resilience amid legal and political pressures, raising questions about the balance between governance and targeted prosecutions in a polarized landscape.