ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur is not in the custody of any federal institution, despite claims by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders that they had lost contact with him.
Gandapur has reportedly gone into self-imposed hiding since Saturday, remaining incommunicado since then, as the PTI workers staged a violent protest in the federal capital.
Addressing a news conference along with KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi in Islamabad, the Interior Minister said that law enforcement agencies conducted raids at KP House in the capital, suspecting that Gandapur might be hiding there. However, he was not found at the location.
“We do not know if he has returned to KP, but camera footage shows him fleeing from KP House,” Naqvi said, denying rumors that the chief minister was in police custody. The interior minister said that Gandapur is not in the custody of any other institution either. “If he is still in Islamabad, the police are searching for him,” he added.
Governor Kundi also confirmed that Gandapur went into hiding on Saturday, describing his actions as “playing on both sides of the wicket.” An emergency session of the KP Assembly has been convened to address the situation.
Kundi highlighted concerns over the involvement of Afghan nationals in the ongoing PTI protests, referring to their participation as a “frightening” development and raising alarms about potential security threats.
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Meanwhile, Faisal Amin Gandapur, the chief minister’s brother, expressed his inability to establish contact with him since Saturday night. Similarly, KP CM’s Adviser on Information Barrister Saif said that Gandapur had been unreachable.
On Saturday, the PTI workers clashed with law enforcement in Islamabad. PTI demonstrators attempted to enter D-Chowk despite the imposition of Section 144, which bans public gatherings in the twin cities due to the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. Police fired tear gas to disperse the protesters, who retaliated by using slingshots against law enforcement.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) directed local authorities to allocate a designated space for PTI’s protest to prevent disruptions during the SCO summit. The orders, issued by IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, came in response to a petition filed by Traders Welfare Association President Raja Hassan Akhtar, who called for measures to prevent further lockdowns and ensure public safety.
Islamabad police constable Hameed Shah, who was critically injured during clashes with protesters, succumbed to his injuries on Sunday. He was reportedly abducted and subjected to violence before succumbing to his wounds.
Interior Minister Naqvi, while expressing his condolences, vowed that those responsible for Shah’s death would face justice. He also announced that one of Shah’s two sons would be offered a position in the police force, and the family would be provided with a housing plot as compensation.
