PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, during a fiery speech in the provincial assembly, issued a stern warning, saying, “If the Islamabad IG is not removed, our next protest will be aimed at removing him.”
After nearly a full day of uncertainty, K-P CM Gandapur reappeared at the provincial assembly on Sunday, following his sudden disappearance during a PTI-led protest in Islamabad a day earlier.
The mystery surrounding Gandapur’s absence had sparked widespread concern, prompting the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly to pass an urgent resolution demanding his immediate release. Provincial Law Minister Aftab Alam tabled the resolution, which condemned the recent raid on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House in Islamabad and the violent incidents that ensued.
Gandapur, who had been last seen leading a convoy of PTI protestors into Islamabad on October 5, was reportedly near China Chowk when he disappeared. CCTV footage from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House shows him entering the premises but later leaving in civilian clothes, raising questions about whether his departure was voluntary.
The chief minister, in today’s speech at K-P Assembly, expressed his frustration with the ongoing repression faced by his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), during protests and rallies across the country.
Gandapur said that PTI’s ‘peaceful’ gatherings have been met with heavy-handed tactics, stating that, “Wherever we hold a rally, we are treated like animals. We are given protest venues as if we are livestock.”
Addressing the K-P Assembly, Gandapur accused Punjab authorities of using force against PTI workers during protest calls. “Whenever we announced protests in Punjab, our workers were picked up, and alternative venues were assigned far from where we had originally planned to gather,” he said, adding that even in Islamabad, PTI was forced to hold a rally in a distant location instead of Liaquat Bagh.
The K-P CM underscored that PTI founder Imran Khan has always preached peace, but their constitutional right to protest has been denied.
“They’ve legitimised horse-trading and political manipulation, but we will continue to protest regardless of permissions,” he asserted, describing how containers were placed, tear gas fired, and PTI supporters beaten, but they still managed to arrive peacefully at D-Chowk.
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