In a surprise turn of events, “missing” Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Sunday resurfaced and entered the KP Assembly chamber after the PTI demanded he be produced within 24 hours.
Gandapur was greeted with cheers and applause as he entered the building.
The chief minister’s whereabouts had been unknown since his detention on Saturday from KP House in Islamabad. Earlier in the evening, the provincial assembly passed a resolution to present the chief minister within 24 hours.
Upon his return to the KP Assembly, Gandapur delivered a fiery speech, accusing the federal government of undermining the will of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “A historic chapter has been written, and now they are trying to erase it,” he declared, referring to the PTI’s political achievements.
He also criticised the treatment of PTI members, stating, “Our party symbol has been taken from us, our members have been kidnapped, and we were not allowed to run an election campaign.”
Gandapur highlighted the party’s electoral success, questioning how the opposition secured votes: “PTI received over 4.5 million votes. Where did the opposition get their votes from?”
Gandapur denounced the raid on KP House, calling it an attack on the province’s autonomy. “The K-P House is our property, and they shelled and fired upon it. What gives them the right to treat it like this?” he asked.
In a direct criticism of the current administration, he questioned, “Why are they so afraid? We requested permission for a rally in Lahore, but they didn’t even allow us to hold it at Minar-e-Pakistan. Are we animals? They want us to hold rallies in cattle markets.”
He concluded with a defiant message: “They thought we wouldn’t make it to D-Chowk, but we did. This is not just about me or PTI; it’s about Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and its rightful place in the federation.”
Despite his reappearance, the political tension continues to build, with PTI accusing the federal government of attempting to destabilise the province. As the stand-off continues, PTI leaders have threatened nationwide protests if further action is taken against their members or leadership.
Earlier, PTI leader Asad Qaiser accused the government of “abducting” Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur from KP House in Islamabad, warning that if he is not produced within 24 hours, his party will stage a nationwide protest.
He claimed that over 1,000 PTI workers had so far been arrested.
“We do not want anarchy, we want to peacefully protest, and exercise our rights,” Qaiser maintained. “The PTI would continue to protest until its last breath and with no limits as protesting was a constitutional and legal right”.
The KP Assembly session finally started after a delay of five hours, with KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati in the chair. Earlier, the session had been rescheduled to begin at 2pm.
Speaker Swati began the session by requesting that PTI workers in the gallery refrain from sloganeering and hooting, given the context of the meeting.
The speaker directed that the KP Chief Secretary, KP inspector general of police (IGP) and the chief minister’s principal secretary appear in the assembly today (Monday) for an in-person briefing.
On the other hand, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had refuted rumours about Gandapur’s alleged arrest, stating that he was neither in police nor any other institution’s custody. He also said that the government had “evidence of the PTI leader running from his residence.”
“I don’t know why he ran and for what reason,” the interior minister said today while speaking to the media in Islamabad. PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Khan earlier informed the media that the protest was initially planned for one day, but due to the crackdown on demonstrators, the PTI had decided to extend its protest.
