ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday retracted claims about the arrest of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur stating that he was confined at KP House Islamabad instead.
In a statement, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government spokesperson Barrister Saif said that the KP House was besieged and Ali Amin Gandapur was confined there. Barrister Saif said that the siege of the KP House was a testament to their success. Earlier, CM Gandapur’s brother claimed his arrest while the government sources denied the same. It was claimed that IG Islamabad police Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi arrested the KP chief minister on charges pertaining to an attack on the state and misuse of official protocol.
Omar Ayub, Senior PTI leader also claimed Gandapur’s arrest, saying that he was taken into custody despite obtaining protective bail from the Peshawar High Court. Barrister Saif claimed that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House in Islamabad has been sealed after the chief minister’s arrest.
When army troops deployed in Islamabad and the federal capital was sealed, it was assumed that it would be difficult for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur to reach the capital city. But he managed to reach there for PTI’s peaceful protest on Saturday.
His cavalcade broke through obstacles near Hassan Abdal and advanced towards Islamabad during tear gas shelling. Shortly thereafter, the convoy reached the 26 Number Chowk outside Rawalpindi-Islamabad where clashes between PTI workers and police had been ongoing since the night before.
Gandapur was later spotted at China Chowk but then headed to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House, where claims of his impending detention surfaced. But official sources denied any reports of his arrest.
Reports said that Gandapur reached the KP House without his caravan where he was expected to meet with government officials. But later non-bailable warrants were issued against him in connection with a case involving the recovery of alcohol, prompting a heavy presence of police and Rangers, who stormed the KP House, including a prisoner van. Official sources dismissed the reports as baseless and fabricated, claiming that Pakistan Rangers have cordoned-off the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House. Under Article 245 of the Constitution, security forces have been deployed for security duties in Islamabad and surrounding areas since the night between 4 and 5 October.
The sources said Pakistan Army and law enforcement agencies are committed to fulfilling their responsibilities with vigilance in respective areas.
It is pertinent to mention that some elements are spreading misinformation about the security forces to achieve their nefarious political agendas.