Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur returned to Peshawar after being unreachable for several hours during a crackdown on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership. Authorities initiated the action in response to alleged violations of the law during a PTI rally in Islamabad. Sources told Geo News that Gandapur was in meetings in the federal capital after the rally.
Shahid Khattak, a PTI member of the National Assembly, confirmed the chief minister’s return. He explained that Gandapur had been busy in extended discussions with government officials regarding the province’s law and order situation, and that mobile phone jammers in the meeting area made it difficult to contact him.
Concerns about Gandapur’s disappearance arose after he could not be reached for over eight hours, leading to speculation that he might have been arrested. The PTI leadership feared a possible arrest after the federal government began cracking down on party members. Earlier, KP CM’s Adviser on Information, Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif, voiced concerns that the federal government may have detained Gandapur. He urged officials to clarify the chief minister’s whereabouts.
The crackdown began when Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif launched an operation against PTI leaders for violating the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Bill, 2024. Among those arrested were PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan and lawmaker Sher Afzal Marwat. The police also apprehended several other party figures, including Zain Qureshi, Sheikh Waqas Akram, and Sunni Ittehad Council Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza.
Police filed cases against many PTI members under the new law. Local leaders, such as Seemabia Tahir and Raja Basharat, were also named in the reports. The first information report (FIR) claimed that PTI workers attacked police officers with batons and threw stones when authorities tried to stop them from violating the rally’s approved route in Islamabad.
Speaking to Geo News, Barrister Saif acknowledged that contact with Gandapur was re-established late at night but detailed discussions had not yet occurred. Saif criticized the timing of the crackdown, which began on September 7, a day before PTI’s scheduled rally on September 8. He noted that many workers from Punjab had arrived in Islamabad early to avoid arrest.
Saif claimed that the federal and Punjab governments launched the operation to sabotage PTI’s political activities. He dismissed allegations that the party violated legal conditions for holding the rally, arguing that the administration made it difficult to implement the necessary no-objection certificate (NOC).
He emphasized that PTI’s political efforts were part of a democratic struggle. He affirmed the party’s right to hold rallies, meet, and demonstrate. Saif warned that the government would be responsible for any unrest if PTI was not allowed to exercise its constitutional rights.
Saif also addressed criticism of Gandapur’s recent remarks against women and journalists during the Islamabad rally. He acknowledged that the speech contained inappropriate language but defended the chief minister, citing the charged emotions of the event. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan had already issued an apology on behalf of the party, Saif noted, urging a more measured response from the government.
While admitting the speech fueled an atmosphere of tension, Saif said it was not an attack on the integrity of the country. He expressed hope that the situation would improve, stating PTI was not seeking conflict but rather a solution.
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