ISLAMABAD: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in the federal capital on Wednesday declared Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Umer Tanveer Butt as perpetrators. The decision came during a hearing on PTI’s protest against the disqualification of its founder Imran Khan by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). Separating the case against the two from the rest of the accused, the court also started the process of declaring PTI leader Aamer Mehmood Kiani as a proclaimed offender. Adjourning the case to January 15, ATC judge Tahir Abbas Sipra also issued arrest warrants for the accused, who were not available for questioning. The said case relates to a first information report (FIR) registered at the I-9 police station in 2022 about Khan’s disqualification. The commission’s decision came against the backdrop of Khan’s sentence in Toshakhan’s first case – whose 14-year sentence was suspended by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in April last year – in which he was accused of abusing his mandate as prime minister from 2018 to 2022. buying and selling gifts in state property which were received during visits abroad and are worth more than Rs.140 crores. The election body’s move drew a strong reaction from PTI workers who protested the decision across the country. Chaotic scenes were witnessed outside the ECP office where enraged PTI workers gathered in large numbers and chanted slogans against the government. Meanwhile, PTI leader Faisal Javed filed an application to remove anti-terrorism provisions from the case. The latest development adds to the KP chief minister’s legal woes as the provincial director-general breathed a sigh of relief last week following the ATC’s decision to shelve his arrest warrant — issued in December — in a case registered at the Hassan Abdal police station. In addition to suspending the arrest warrants, the court also canceled the proceedings to declare the Prime Minister a criminal.
