Pakistani Court Issues Non-Bailable Warrant for Sohail Afridi Over Defamatory Claims

A Pakistani court has issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi due to inflammatory remarks against state security institutions. This decision follows Afridi's repeated failure to respond to court summons and his alleged false claims made during a media session.

A Pakistani court issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Tuesday. The case involves Afridi's alleged inflammatory remarks against the country's security institutions.

The National Cyber Crime Investigation Authority filed the case on November 9, 2025, accusing Afridi of making false and defamatory claims under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), 2016. These remarks were made during a media interaction outside Adiala Jail on November 6.

Senior Civil Judge Abbas Shah observed Afridi's continued absence from court hearings and issued the arrest warrant, mandating law enforcement to ensure Afridi's presence at the next court session on February 21. This action marks the second time such measures have been taken against Afridi, who allegedly accused security forces of misconduct. The government has denied these allegations.

(With inputs from agencies.)