Sohail Afridi faces absconder proceedings in May 9 case

PESHAWAR: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Peshawar on Saturday initiated legal proceedings to declare Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) social media activist Aamir Chamkani absconders in connection with the May 9 attack on Radio Pakistan’s Peshawar station.

The court ordered the issuance of notices under Section 87 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) after police informed it that both accused could not be arrested despite repeated efforts. The proceedings are part of a case involving allegations of attacking, vandalising and setting fire to the historic broadcasting station during the May 9 and 10, 2023 protests.

During Saturday’s hearing, Detective Foot Constable Muhammad Iqbal of East Cantonment Police Station told the court that arrest warrants issued under Section 204 of the CrPC against Afridi and Chamkani remained unexecuted. He said police had made efforts to locate and arrest the two accused but had been unsuccessful.

After examining the police report, the court directed the issuance of notices under Section 87 against both individuals. It also ordered the relevant police official to appear and record a statement confirming the required legal proceedings.

According to the prosecution, the notices will be displayed at the residences and offices of the two accused. If they fail to appear despite the notices, the court may initiate proceedings under Section 512 of the CrPC to declare them proclaimed offenders. Permanent arrest warrants could subsequently be issued against them.

Afridi, Chamkani and several other individuals, including Rahman Jalal, Abbas, Attaullah, Hamza Ghazanfar, Haroon, Mashhood Hassan and Khalid Khan Afridi, have been nominated in the case.

Separately, former provincial ministers Irfan Saleem, Kamran Bangash and Taimur Saleem appeared before the court in connection with their interim bail applications. Their lawyer, Inamullah Yousafzai, submitted an application concerning their attendance.

The Radio Pakistan Peshawar attack occurred on May 9, 2023, following the arrest of former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan. Protests erupted across the country, with demonstrators allegedly breaking into the broadcasting station, setting parts of the building and vehicles on fire and damaging equipment.

The incident caused extensive damage to the historic radio station, which began broadcasting in 1935 and is among the oldest broadcasting facilities in Pakistan.

More than 80 PTI leaders and workers were initially nominated in cases registered over the violence and the attack on the station. Afridi was subsequently included in the case following a request by Radio Pakistan.

In November 2025, an anti-terrorism court directed prosecution witnesses and the investigating officer to appear with the relevant case property. The proceedings also involved efforts to establish the identities of those allegedly involved through video recordings, photographs and forensic evidence.