Former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur’s recent shenanigans have brought back memories of what it was like when the mercurial man from Dera was the focus of PTI’s politics in the province.
His sudden departure from the PTI’s tumultuous politics on October of last year, had turned the political dynamics of the province on its head.
In a way, his fate was not too different from that of other PTI-nominated chief ministers who came before him – Mahmood Khan and Parvez Khattak. They too faded into the political wilderness once removed from power.
With the PTI currently in the throes of another leadership crisis, the Sardar from Kulachi returned with a bang. For almost five months, Gandapur shied away from the media limelight that he so loved while in office. But in recent media appearances, he is clearly back to his boisterous self.
While the party’s energies were fully devoted towards highlighting Imran Khan’s health issues and pushing the narrative that he has been denied timely treatment, the jilted former CM’s resurfacing was being viewed with a mixture of trepidation and chagrin.
‘Comeback tour’
Earlier this week, he showed up at a PTI protest in Islamabad, breaking his silence by giving back-to-back interviews to TV channels and podcasts, where he trashed his party and its leadership without restraint.
He even praised Mohsin Naqvi – at a time when the party regards him as one of those responsible for the current plight of their leader – claiming that the federal interior minister had made “more serious and sustained efforts than anyone else to secure Imran’s release from jail.”
This even prompted KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi to remark that Gandapur was Naqvi’s “good boy”.
“Naqvi had adopted him, and I do not think the interior minister has made any attempt to release Imran,” the governor said in a TV appearance following the former CM’s re-emergence.
In his recent comments, the man from Dera also targeted Aleema Khan. This seemed to be a continuation of his gripe with Imran’s sister, whose influence he had previously blamed for his ouster from office last year.
The subjects Gandapur broached upon raised many eyebrows, both among the leadership and commentators, and his behaviour left political pundits guessing: what motivated this sudden outburst, and what is his endgame?
Over the course of the past week, Dawn reached out to PTI central spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram, provincial president Junaid Akbar Khan and provincial government spokesperson Shafi Jan for comment.
While the former two did not respond to requests for comment, the latter simply refused to discuss the matter, saying it was “the party’s internal issue and he could not comment on it.”
A spokesperson for Gandapur initially agreed to respond to written queries, but did not respond to subsequent communications.
Then, on Friday night, a few days after opening Pandora’s Box, Gandapur seemed to have a change of heart, issuing a two-minute video, where he reluctantly apologised for his outburst.
“People are creating a controversy out of my angry remarks. If my remarks have hurt someone… I am sorry for the time being,” he said.
Gandapur justified his anger by saying that the party had been unable to secure their legitimate demand of ensuring proper treatment for the incarcerated Imran.
“If someone is not angered by this, than they lack humanity,’” he said.
Party insiders’ views
“The question is why the former chief minister, who remained sequestered from politics in his Dera lair for the past several months, suddenly made an appearance in Islamabad,” a PTI office bearer requesting anonymity, told Dawn.
He said the former chief minister’s staff had cited several court cases against him in the federal capital as the reason why he stayed in his native town. “Now all of a sudden his legal troubles are of no consequence, and he is on every talk show in town.”
However, a local journalist in Dera Ismail Khan contested this assertion, saying Gandapur was staying in Islamabad most of the time after his resignation and visited his native town occasionally. “He had become very active in district politics over the last month,” the journalist said.
In PTI circles, party leaders are especially puzzled by the timing of Gandapur’s statements.
The social media brigade, meanwhile, feels vindicated, having dubbed Gandapur a “sellout and an establishment tout” long ago.
“Gandapur is a good politician, but whenever he faces a camera, he loses control over his emotions,” said one PTI insider.
He said that the PTI honoured him and he should play his role when the party is under pressure, but “the time was not opportune for his utterances”.
“If what he did in Islamabad continues, then he could turn into another Sher Afzal Marwat,” he said.
MNA Marwat, an outspoken lawyer, had risen to prominence by leading demonstrations after the party and workers were at the receiving end of a crackdown in the aftermath of the May 9 violence. He was later expelled from the party’s ranks for similarly divisive statements, upon Imran’s orders.
Gandapur’s outburst, according to a senior party leader, carried even more sinister undertones.
“Ali Amin wanted to undermine his successor, KP Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi, and his efforts, which is why he has given these statements,” he said.
Describing the former chief minister as ‘a loose cannon’, the senior party leader said Gandapur may be eyeing an opportunity for himself in case of Afridi’s disqualification – the matter of code of conduct violations in the Haripur by-poll is pending against the incumbent before the Election Commission of Pakistan.
“The powers that be have hinted to Gandapur that he has another chance of becoming chief minister if Afridi is disqualified, and that is why he has been flexing [his muscles],” he said.
Gandapur, the senior party leader said, has little goodwill left in the party, and even if Afridi is disqualified, the party was unlikely to entrust him with the responsibility of leading KP again.
Meanwhile, Aleema, who has been at the receiving end of several of Gandapur’s attacks, dismissed his outbursts as a case of “shooting the messenger”.
“Since they owe their seats to Imran, they cannot say anything against him, so they target the family instead,” she said, in a recent interview with Independent Urdu.
“And when they are saying anything against us, they are [actually] venting their anger against Imran,” she said.
