KP CM Ali Amin Gandapur resurfaces in Peshawar

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has returned to Peshawar after being “missing” for several hours during the crackdown on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership, following alleged violations during the party’s rally in Islamabad, sources confirmed to Geo News on Tuesday.

Shahid Khattak, a PTI Member of the National Assembly (MNA), verified the development. Sources stated that Gandapur had been “occupied with various meetings” in the federal capital after PTI’s political gathering. The party clarified that Gandapur had engaged in a lengthy meeting with government officials regarding the law and order situation in the province. His unavailability was attributed to mobile phone jammers in the meeting’s location.

Earlier, PTI raised concerns about the possible arrest of Gandapur after losing contact with him for over eight hours. On Monday, KP CM’s Adviser on Information, Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif, suggested that the federal government might have detained the chief minister, as there had been no communication with him since 6 pm. Saif expressed his doubts, urging the government to clarify Gandapur’s whereabouts.

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These concerns followed a renewed crackdown by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on PTI leaders for violating the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Bill, 2024. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan and lawmaker Sher Afzal Marwat were arrested outside the Parliament House. Other detained party leaders included Zain Qureshi, Sheikh Waqas Akram, Naseem-ur-Rehman, Zubair Khan, Shoaib Shaheen, and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza.

Police have filed cases against numerous PTI leaders under the new law, with cases registered at the Noon Village and Sangjani police stations. A total of 28 local leaders, including Seemabia Tahir and Raja Basharat, were named in the FIR. The report stated that agitated PTI workers attacked police with batons and hurled stones when officers attempted to prevent them from violating the rally’s designated route.