Peshawar ATC issues arrest warrants for Sohail Afridi in Radio Pakistan attack case

During Wednesday's hearing, the district public prosecutor submitted the challan, naming Afridi, Jhagra, Bangash, Saleem and Chamkani as accused. ATC Judge Wali Muhammad Khan observed that, since the challan had been submitted and the suspects had been nominated, arrest warrants were warranted in accordance with the law.

Radio Pakistan's legal counsel Shabbir Hussain Gigyani footage of the attack was available and requested that the identities of those appearing in it be verified through the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and the Punjab Forensic Science Agency. Also Read:Non-functional Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa CM Sohail Afridi's brother moves PHC over alleged 'illegal' detention.

The court subsequently obtained forensic reports from NADRA Islamabad and the Punjab Forensic Science Laboratory in Lahore to verify the suspects' identities through video footage and photographs. 's account presented in court, forensic analysis of the crime-scene footage also indicated that the accused were present at the site.

Gigyani lamented that, although the police investigation had been completed, the challan had not been submitted to the court for nearly six months. He said more than 80 suspects had been nominated in the case, adding that five had now been included in the challan over their alleged involvement in the attack.

The lawyer maintained that the forensic findings supported the identification of the suspects and urged the court to proceed against them in accordance with the law. Read more:CM, four former ministers named in May 9 case.

During the proceedings, defence counsel Ali Zaman sought additional time and requested an adjournment. After hearing the arguments, the court issued arrest warrants for the five PTI leaders and adjourned the hearing until November 4.

Reports of. Afridi's detentionemerged shortly after the federal government announced its decision toimpose emergency and governor's rulein K-P on October 11 under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution. The government cited the deteriorating law and order situation and a lack of support from the provincial administration in the fight against terrorism as reasons for the decision.

On October 12, the minister of state for interiorconfirmedthat Afridi and some members of his cabinet had been taken into preventive custody. Case background. The attack on Radio Pakistan’s Peshawar station took place during widespread protests following the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan on May 9, 2023.

The Express Tribunereported that protesters entered the premises after breaking through the main gate, set fireto the building and vehicles, and damaged equipment. The arson caused extensive damage to the historic broadcasting station, which began operating in 1935 and was among Pakistan’s oldest radio stations.

In an article published on May 12, 2023, The Express Tribunenoted that the fire destroyedcentury-oldvaluable archives containing decades of Pashto and Hindko music, dramas, speeches and other recordings. The loss was described as a major cultural setback for regional-language broadcasting, while vehicles and broadcasting equipment were also reduced to ashes.

More than80 PTI leaders and workerswere initially reported to have been nominated in cases related to the violence and the attack on Radio Pakistan. In November 2025, an ATC directed prosecution witnesses and the investigating officer to appear with the relevant case property.

The proceedings subsequently focused on establishing the identities of those allegedly involved through video footage, photographs and forensic evidence. The investigation into the involvement of senior PTI figures became a contentious aspect of the case.

In January, the Punjab Forensic Science Laboratoryanalysed 16 video clipsand the footage showed Sohail Afridi, Kamran Bangash, Taimur Saleem Jhagra and Irfan Saleem. However, the report also noted that some clips showed signs of editing or splicing, underscoring the need to assess the evidence carefully.