An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Peshawar extended the interim pre-arrest bail on November 4 of three Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leaders in the May 2023 attack on the Radio Pakistan building. The court granted the extension to former provincial ministers Taimoor Saleem Jhagra and Kamran Khan Bangash, and PTI Peshawar president Irfan Saleem, fixing the next hearing for November 11. Dysfunctional Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and PTI social media activist Amir Khan Chamkani were absent.

Afridi’s counsel claimed he had been taken into custody on October 11 and his whereabouts remained unknown. The counsel also alleged that Chamkani had been arrested or abducted by unidentified individuals in Peshawar on November 3.

The court was informed that the five accused had recently been named in supplementary charge sheets based on findings by the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) and the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), which examined video footage and profile pictures related to the incident.

Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) counsel Shabbir Hussain Gigyani requested forensic examination of the videos and facial recognition of the accused. Meanwhile, Advocate Ali Zaman said the Radio Pakistan attack case was not included in the details of cases against Afridi provided by the government to the Peshawar High Court.

The ATC is handling cases against 75 individuals in connection with the attack, including serving and former lawmakers. The five recently named accused were not included in the original FIR or earlier charge sheet.