Islamabad court again issues NBWs for Gandapur's arrest in arms and liquor case

An Islamabad court on Tuesday repeated non-bailable warrants (NBWs) for the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur in connection with a 2016 case pertaining to the alleged recovery of liquor and illegal weapons from his vehicle.

Senior Civil Judge Mubashir Hassan Chishti took up the case. He re-issued the warrants after Gandapur failed to appear before the court for the umpteenth time.

The judge directed the Islamabad police to arrest and produce the PTI leader at the next hearing without fail. The case has been put off to October 28.

On October 30, 2016, the Islamabad police allegedly recovered five Kalashnikov rifles, a pistol, six magazines, a bulletproof vest, three tear gas shells, and bottles of alcohol from Gandapur’s car outside Bani Gala — the residence of incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan.

At the time, Gandapur was serving as KP's revenue minister. The incident occurred during heightened political tensions, as law enforcement sought to block PTI supporters from reaching Bani Gala in response to Khan’s call to shut down the capital on November 2 of that year.

Gandapur dismissed the allegations and stated that two of the recovered rifles were licensed and the remaining weapons were issued to his official security detail. He further stated that the teargas shells and liquor did not belong to him, asserting instead that the liquor bottles contained honey.