PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday issued a stay order, temporarily halting proceedings by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly speaker and a special committee he constituted to probe the ransacking and torching of the Radio Pakistan Peshawar building during protests following the arrest of former Prime Minister and PTI founder Imran Khan in May 2023.
Read More: Forensic evidence confirms Radio Pakistan attack was pre-planned
The order was issued by a bench comprising Justice Sahibzada Asadullah and Justice Dr Khurshid Iqbal in a petition filed by Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) through its Peshawar station director, Tufail Ahmad. The petition requested the court to declare illegal and set aside the KP Assembly speaker’s December 26, 2025, notification for the probe.
Peshawar High Court Halts KP Assembly’s Inquiry into Radio Pakistan Attack
• 🔴 Judicial Intervention: The Peshawar High Court has issued a restraining order against the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly’s inquiry committee formed to investigate the May 9 attack on Radio Pakistan.… pic.twitter.com/ocKZsy4wLh
— Anastasia Ana (@ana_reborn94) January 29, 2026
An anti-terrorism court is already conducting a trial in the case, with 75 accused, including current and former lawmakers, indicted on multiple charges on June 3, 2025. The accused have pleaded not guilty and are facing trial.
The PHC bench observed that it must examine whether, once a matter is sub judice before a competent trial court, the speaker has the authority to form an inquiry committee and whether such proceedings could prejudice the prosecution’s case. Both sides will present legal arguments regarding the competency of the inquiry committee and the trial court in the next hearing.
Lawyer for the petitioner, Shabbir Hussain Gigyani, highlighted that the KP Assembly passed a motion on December 16, 2025, to constitute a 15-member special committee, chaired by Provincial Law Minister Aftab Alam, to investigate the incident and determine whether it involved a well-planned conspiracy and the role of law enforcement agencies.
Additional Advocate General Abdul Rauf Afridi represented the provincial government, while the speaker was represented by Advocate Waqar Ali and Assistant Director (Legal) Mushtaq Ahmad.
Read More: KP Assembly constitutes committee to probe Radio Pakistan attack
The accused include provincial minister Meena Khan Afridi, MNA Asif Khan, MPAs Fazal Ilahi Khan and Arbab Waseem, and former MPAs Arbab Jehandad, Fida Gul, and Wajid Khan.