In a major development, Adviser to the Chief Minister on Information Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif claimed that the federal government might have taken Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CM Ali Amin Gandapur into custody.
The Centre has launched a fresh crackdown against the leadership of the Imran Khan-founded party after the latter “violated” the newly enacted public gathering law during the party’s Sunday power show in the capital.
The Islamabad police arrested PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan, lawmaker Sher Afzal Marwat, Zubair Khan and others outside the Parliament House following the National Assembly session.
The Islamabad police said that PTI leaders Omar Ayub Khan and Zartaj Gul Wazir would also be taken into custody. Heavy contingents of police were deployed outside the parliament while all entry and exit routes to the Red Zone were also closed from D-Chowk, Nadra Chowk, Serena, and Marriott, except for Margala Road.
Expressing his doubts, the PTI leader urged the federal government to inform them about the whereabouts of the missing CM.
Amid the ongoing crackdown against the PTI leaders, Saif said that the provincial chief executive was not in contact since 6 pm.
In the wee hours of Tuesday, PTI MNA from Karak Shahid Khattak confirmed that CM Gandapur has reached Peshawar.
Earlier, speaking to the Geo News programme "Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath", the KP CM spokesperson said that Gandapur told him over the phone at 3 pm that he was going to Islamabad for a meeting.
"Since then, Gandapur's phone has been off and his close staff’s contact numbers are also unreachable since 6pm," he added.
"Has anyone witnessed a precedent of arresting an elected chief minister," he questioned.
The CM's aide asked authorities to file a case against Gandapur if he had done anything wrong.
Commenting over the arrests of the PTI leaders, Saif said that such moves could not crush the former ruling party except for denting the democracy in the country.
"Senior parliamentarians were arrested like criminals. We will not compromise and continue our struggle," he added.
Slamming the PML-N-led government, the politico said that there was no solid reason to begin a crackdown on the basis of Gandapur's speech during the Islamabad rally.
He was of the view that the KP CM delivered an "emotional speech" as the current rulers seized power via "illegal means".
Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza and PTI leaders Zain Qureshi, Sheikh Waqas Akram, Naseem-ur-Rehman, Zubair Khan and others were arrested from the Parliament House, say the sources.
The sources privy to the matter, however, claimed that CM Gandapur left for Peshawar from Islamabad.
Earlier, SIC chief Raza rebuffed the news claiming the KP CM arrested and said: “CM Gandapur has not been arrested. He is travelling from one place to another place. His mobile phone is off due to jammers.”
CM Gandapur, in his speech yesterday, gave a two-week ultimatum to the coalition government to release the party founder Imran Khan besides pledging to expand the anti-government movement to Punjab.
"If the founder of PTI is not legally released within one to two weeks, we will have him freed ourselves," the chief minister had said.
Provincial Minister for Higher Education Meena Khan Afridi said that PTI leadership could not contact CM Gandapur. He warned the federal government against any unconstitutional step.
“The KP government will oppose the unconstitutional move,” he added.
PTI MNA Shahid Khattak also confirmed that CM Gandapur was not in contact with the party leadership.
It is pertinent to mention here that Marwat was arrested for violating regulations devised under a new law —Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Bill, 2024, sources told Geo News, adding that the PTI lawmaker was accused of clashing with police personnel a day earlier.
Sources said that alongside Omar and Zartaj, more PTI leaders, including Hammad Azhar, Kanwal Shauzab, Naeem Haider Panjutha, Amir Mughal, and Khalid Khursheed, are also expected to be arrested.
Islamabad police were expected to launch a crackdown against the former ruling party’s Punjab leaders who attended yesterday’s power show, according to sources.
It emerged that Islamabad police formally informed the Punjab top officials regarding the actions.
In a separate action, Shoaib Shaheen was also arrested from his residence.
Police filed cases against several leaders of the Imran-founded party under newly-enacted Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Bill, 2024, at Noon Village and Sangjani police stations.
At least 28 local leaders including Seemabia Tahir and Raja Basharat were also nominated in the cases.
The first information report (FIR) stated that charged PTI workers attacked police teams with batons and pelted them with stones when officers tried to stop them from violating the Islamabad rally's route.
According to the FIR, police deployed for security resorted to tear gas shelling and baton charging the party activists, arresting 17 of them from the scene.
The PTI staged its much-hyped power show in Islamabad with party workers and police clashing on Chungi No 26, on the outskirts of the capital.
The federal capital police claimed that the PTI supporters’ insistence to use the route set for the general public led to clash with the law enforcers.