Gandapur uses intemperate language against Kundi after criticism

PESHAWAR/ ISLAMABAD: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, while questioning the funds for the merger of erstwhile Fata into the province, Wednesday said KP lacked in health and education facilities. He said that the ‘makers’ of Riyasat-e-Madina should tell if they had breached the trust.

He claimed that Rs3 billion were allocated for universities in the province but not a single rupee was spent. He also invited KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur to a lunch.

Talking to a delegation of Mohmand Chamber of Commerce and Industry here at the Governor House, Kundi said that people of tribal districts, including Mohmand, need better infrastructure for the progress and prosperity of the region.

The delegation requested the governor to play his constitutional role for establishment of special economic zone and industrial estate at Mohmand for promotion of marble industry. The delegation further apprised the governor of their concerns pertaining to electricity, enforcement of taxes and security challenges.

Meanwhile, KP Chief Minister Gandapur asked Governor Kundi to ‘stay within the limits. “If Faisal Karim Kundi does not stay within the limits, he will be thrown out on the streets,” the chief minister said. Gandapur also got piqued by Kundi calling him as his relative.

“I told him, ‘I am not your relative, you and your leader both are thieves, my party and my leader are my relatives’. I don’t have any relation with any thief. He is crossing the limit and wants that I should use his name,” Gandapur remarked when a journalist asked him why he was using harsh language for Governor Faisal Karim Kundi when he was very soft and even called Ali Amin Gandapur as his relative.

Both, Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Governor Faisal Karim Kundi belong to Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They have been contesting elections against each other. “You don’t have any value, I have the power to put you out from the Governor’s house. All the time you are talking about 9th May, who are you to talk about that? Mind your own business and be in your limit.”

Meanwhile, Adviser to Prime Minister on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah said that Gandapur was giving statements to make Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder chairman Imran Khan happy, adding that if the KP chief minister could throw the governor (on the streets), then he could also be thrown out. Talking to Geo News programme ‘Capital Talk’, Rana Sana said that new cases would be filed against Imran Khan in the coming days.

Sanaullah, the former security czar, said was questioned about the former prime minister’s expected relief and release in other cases based on “benefit of the doubt” after the Islamabad High Court’s verdict in the cipher case.

The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) senior leader bluntly replied that the PTI founder’s release was not dependent on his iddat case’s verdict. He admitted that an accused would be given the benefit of doubt under Pakistan’s laws.

“Doubts can be created in a simple matter...at one time, we saw back-to-back sentences without the creation of doubts. It is likely to see doubts in the iddat case as well just like we saw in the cipher case,” the politico commented.

He was of the view that the iddat case was being termed as a “personal affair” of a political leader, however, a public personality has no personal affairs. The former interior minister said that Imran was nominated in the cases in which confessions were made for their crimes.

To another question regarding new cases, Sanaullah admitted that new cases would be filed in the days to come. Pointing out the former premier’s controversial X post, he signaled that a case could be lodged on the video.

He reiterated that the PTI founder brought the country to a dead end from where there were only two options left, one is a democratic way which leads towards dialogues and another way is confrontation. He added that there was no chance for the PTI to choose the confrontation.

The politico insisted that democratic parties had never refused to hold dialogue, however, there was no response from the former ruling party.

Meanwhile, in a statement, Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said that the chief minister from the PTI should stop threatening the KP governor. “He should act like a chief minister, not a goon. We consider Gandapur as the chief minister of PTI not of KP.” Sharjeel said that it seems Gandapur was meant to be a goon but became the chief minister by mistake. Threatening the governor is not just an insult to an individual but an attack on the essence of our constitutional system, he added. He said that Kundi holds an important constitutional position. “Threats against him are unacceptable and fall under the category of terrorism. Threats from a person holding a high public position are a serious matter. Immediate and decisive action should be taken against the KP chief minister.” He said that the Pakistan Peoples Party has always shown restraint by maintaining the highest standards of conduct.