Humayun Khan
PESHAWAR: A divisional bench comprising of Chief Justice Peshawar High Court (PHC) Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Justice Sahibzada Asadullah extended protective bail of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur till 17th December, on Thursday.
The chief minister Gandapur had filed a petition seeking protective bail in various cases registered against him, citing concerns about his safety and potential harassment as well as arrest by law enforcement agencies. The cases, filed in different parts of the country, allegedly pertain to allegations of corruption, misconduct and other offenses.
Additional Attorney General Sana Ullah and Additional Advocate General Inam Yousafzai appeared on behalf of federal and provincial governments respectively. The counsel Alam Khan Adeenzai advocate argued that the chief minister’s presence was required in Islamabad for an important International Monetary Fund (IMF) meeting.
During the hearing, Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim observed, the province needs the chief minister’s attention, and he cannot come to court daily. However, Justice Sahibzada Asadullah added, “as chief minister, Gandapur has other responsibilities and cannot be expected to appear in court regularly.”
During hearing, the additional attorney general requested for provision of three weeks to submit report in this regard. He informed the court that Ministry of Interior has been asked for provision of record as well as for compliance to PHC’s decisions.
PHC’s divisional bench comprising of Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Justice Sahibzada Asadullah directed the federal government to submit its response to Gandapur’s petition by 17th December.
Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur vowed to continue his fight against the cases, which he described as politically motivated. He announced plans to stage a protest in Islamabad, asserting, we will exercise our right to peaceful protest as guaranteed by the Constitution.
ATC rejects bail in terrorism finance: Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Peshawar Judge Muhammad Iqbal Khan rejected the interim bail applications of two accused, Qadir and Umair, allegedly involved in financing banned organizations.
The accused were charged with providing millions of rupees in funding to terrorist groups operating across the border. Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) had arrested the central accused and was seeking custody of Qadir and Umair. The court has directed the authorities to take the accused into custody and ordered them to be transferred to the relevant police station.
