On Thursday, police submitted an investigation report to an anti-terrorism court (ATC) concerning the May 9, 2023 attack on the Radio Pakistan building in Peshawar. The report named Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, former provincial ministers Taimur Saleem Jhagra and Kamran Bangash, along with PTI Peshawar president Irfan Saleem, as accused in the case.
The report was presented to ATC Judge Wali Mohammad during a hearing focused on the violent incident in which the Radio Pakistan Peshawar office was ransacked and set ablaze amid unrest following the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan. The investigating officer confirmed that the police had finalized their findings and identified suspects based on forensic evidence.
Key evidence included reports from Radio Pakistan, forensic analyses from the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), and the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA). These findings played a crucial role in identifying the individuals involved. The judge instructed the investigating officer to submit the formal challan promptly and emphasized that the responsibility for arresting the accused lay with the police, directing the investigation to proceed accordingly. The officer requested additional time to complete the challan but assured the court it would be filed.
This development follows the court’s earlier rejection of a police report deemed incomplete and inconclusive. On September 18, Judge Wali Mohammad ordered a comprehensive report incorporating forensic results from PFSA and identity verifications by NADRA. The next hearing was scheduled for September 24, with instructions for the investigation officer and DSP Khushal Khan to submit a detailed report. The previous report faced criticism for lacking clear conclusions on forensic findings.
In a significant development earlier this year, PFSA examined 16 video clips related to the May 9 events. The forensic agency conducted frame-by-frame analysis and found that facial features of Afridi, Jhagra, Bangash, and Irfan Saleem matched individuals appearing in the footage. However, the examination was limited to visual identification. The PFSA noted that while many videos showed no signs of manipulation, some contained added text or logos, and two videos involving Afridi and Irfan Saleem displayed evidence of splicing. Importantly, the PFSA report identified individuals but did not confirm that the footage depicted the Radio Pakistan attack. NADRA also verified the identities based on profile photographs provided for comparison.
Earlier in March, police had nominated Afridi, Jhagra, Bangash, Irfan Saleem, and PTI activist Amir Khan Chamkani as suspects, but the prosecution initially delayed submitting the report and challan to the ATC. Following intervention by the Radio Pakistan administration, the court ordered the prosecution to file the report. The ATC is already hearing cases against 75 accused, including current and former lawmakers, who were indicted in June 2025 and pleaded not guilty.
The case revolves around the attack on the historic Radio Pakistan Peshawar building, which also housed the of Pakistan offices, during protests sparked by Imran Khan’s arrest. The First Information Report (FIR) was registered on May 10, 2023, at the East Cantonment Police Station under the Pakistan Penal Code and the Anti-Terrorism Act.
The prosecution’s case involves numerous accused, with recent proceedings focused on additional suspects identified through video evidence and identity verification. The forensic identification has been contested in court. During a March hearing, Special Prosecutor Naumanul Haq Kakakhel argued that the video evidence did not conclusively prove Afridi and others’ involvement, stating the footage only showed resemblance and did not definitively depict the Radio Pakistan attack.
With the latest police report formally naming the four leaders, the court has directed investigators to proceed with submitting the challan. The ongoing legal process will determine the status of the newly nominated accused and evaluate the evidentiary material presented by the prosecution.
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