- Court seeks full forensic record by February 14.
- CM says USB sent under court orders.
- Police await court direction to probe CM.
PESHAWAR: Fresh controversy erupted in the May 9 case after reports from the Punjab Forensic Science Agency and Nadra linked video evidence to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, prompting the court to seek a complete report on February 14, The News reported.
According to official reports received from the Punjab forensic agency, the evidence submitted in the case has been linked to CM Afridi, while a separate verification report from Nadra has also identified material related to him.
The court has directed that the complete forensic and verification reports be presented on February 14. Police have maintained that if directed by the court, they will formally investigate the KP chief minister in the matter.
Meanwhile, questions have surfaced on social media over whether the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police themselves sent the evidence relating to the chief minister to the Punjab forensic laboratory or whether the material was dispatched strictly on court orders.
Speaking to The News, CM Afridi said that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police had not sent the material on their own. He said the court handed a sealed envelope containing a USB drive to the investigating officer and ordered that it be sent to the forensic laboratory.
According to the chief minister, neither his lawyer nor the investigating officer was informed about the contents of the USB. He said his lawyer requested that the material be shown in court, but the judge did not allow it, adding that the material was sent in what he described as an act of injustice.
Sohail Afridi further said that the court asked forensic experts to determine whether the individual appearing in the video was him. He said the experts confirmed that the person in the footage was indeed him.
“However, the real issue is whether Sohail Afridi has any connection with the May 9 incidents or not,” the chief minister said. He added that no investigation had so far been conducted against him by the police in connection with the case.
Separately, Peshawar Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Mian Saeed told The News that police had already completed their investigation in the case and submitted the challan to the court.
He said that after the defence lawyer produced certain material before the court, the court ordered that the USB be handed over to the police. Subsequently, the court directed the police to send the USB to the Punjab Forensic Science Agency and Nadra for verification.
The CCPO said that both the forensic and Nadra reports had been submitted to the court and formally made part of the case record. He added that further action would now be taken in line with the next court order.
According to the CCPO, if the court issues instructions, CM Afridi will also be investigated. He said it would now be for the court to determine whether the video and images have any connection with the May 9 incident in Peshawar.
