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

It was registered on the complaint of Radio Pakistan, which nominated Afridi, former ministers Taimur Saleem Jhagra, Kamran Bangash and Irfan Saleem, and Aamir Khan Chamkani. Former provincial ministers Jhagra, Bangash and Saleem appeared before ATC Judge Wali Mohammad along with their lawyers.

During the hearing, the lawyers requested an adjournment: “We are not prepared today. We should be given time, and the hearing should be adjourned.”Accepting their request, the court adjourned the hearing until November 17 and extended the interim bail of the three former ministers until that date.

In a previous hearing on October 28, the ATC hadissued arrest warrantsfor Afridi, Jhagra, Bangash, Saleem and Chamkani after the prosecution submitted the challan, formally naming them as accused in the case. Read:Peshawar ATC issues arrest warrants for Sohail Afridi in Radio Pakistan attack case.

The court had also obtained forensic reports from NADRA Islamabad and the Punjab Forensic Science Laboratory to verify their identities through video footage and photographs of the May 9 attack. Radio Pakistan'scounsel had of the incident was available and that forensic analysis indicated the accused were present at the scene.

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 on May 9, 2023. 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. The fire destroyedcentury-oldarchives 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.