Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has been named in the case concerning the May 2023 attack, vandalism and arson at Radio Pakistan Peshawar, according to a police investigation report submitted to the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Peshawar.
The police have submitted a detailed investigation report incorporating findings from the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) and the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). The report names Sohail Afridi along with former provincial ministers Taimur Saleem Jhagra and Kamran Bangash, PTI Peshawar president Irfan Saleem, and Amir Khan Chamkani.
The development follows an earlier court order directing police to submit a comprehensive investigation report after the previous report was described as incomplete and inconclusive. The court had specifically sought the complete investigation record and evidence underlying the PFSA and NADRA findings.
According to the police report, relevant videos and photographs were sent to the Punjab Forensic Science Agency for examination, while NADRA assistance was obtained for identification. The PFSA previously reported facial-feature matches between the profile photographs provided by investigators and individuals appearing in the videos. NADRA also reported probable matches involving the identity documents and profile photographs of the individuals concerned.
However, the forensic findings have been disputed. The PFSA report did not establish that the video clips themselves depicted the Radio Pakistan incident. PTI leaders have also questioned the relevance of the footage, saying the clips were not from the Radio Pakistan attack.
The case already has 75 accused facing trial, according to court reporting. The legal consequences of naming the additional individuals will depend on the court proceedings and the evidence placed on record.
Radio Pakistan’s counsel, Shabbir Hussain Gigyani, had previously argued that the court should be provided not only with the PFSA and NADRA reports but also with the complete investigation and original material on which those reports were based.
The latest report represents a further development in the long-running case, with the court examining the forensic evidence, identification material and police investigation before determining the next legal steps.