LAHORE: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Saturday called on state institutions to engage in dialogue with the PTI, but demanded that they hold themselves accountable.
Gandapur and the PTI’s top leadership are on a visit to Lahore to formally launch a movement to seek the release of party founder Imran Khan and devise a strategy for its nationwide protest, which will reach its crescendo on August 5 — marking two years since the ex-premier was imprisoned .
Since Imran’s incarceration in several cases, which he claims are politically motivated , his party’s relationship with the government and the establishment has turned exceedingly sour. The PTI has held several protests over the last year, most of which escalated into violence after facing state repression .
Addressing a press conference flanked by PTI’s Punjab leadership, CM Gandapur said: “We have to correct our institutions ourselves. Come, sit together, own your mistakes and move forward.”
He recalled that Imran, despite his wife also being imprisoned in a graft case , had repeatedly said he was ready to talk for the sake of the country.
Imran was jailed on Aug 5, 2023 in a case related to state gifts , is serving a sentence at the Adiala Jail in the £190 million graft case and faces pending trials related to the May 9, 2023 riots .
In the wake of the nationwide May 9 protests, which saw important military installations come under attack, thousands of PTI workers and almost the entire top-tier leadership were rounded up, with many still facing court proceedings under serious charges .
The military considers the PTI the “planners and architects ” of the May 9 riots and has demanded an apology from Imran, who in turn claimed that the army owes an apology to him since he was “abducted” by the Rangers on May 9. However, days later, he offered to apologise on the condition that the involvement of PTI supporters in the violent protests was proved through CCTV evidence.
At today’s press conference, Gandapur was accompanied by PTI Secretary General Barrister Salman Akram Raja, Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar, KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati and MNA Latif Khosa.
“Come and talk, acknowledge and correct your mistakes,” Gandapur reiterated today, noting that it was everyone’s collective responsibility to think about Pakistan’s future.
“The state institutions, whose duty is not to engage in politics, are playing every role in forming, running and overthrowing governments,” the PTI leader alleged. “And when you ask, they reply with delight that ‘we are non-political’.”
Gandapur, stressing that he was a soldier’s son and brother, said: “My military is being defamed due to a few wrong people and their decisions.”
“The state institutions have ignored their duties which are stated in the Constitution and are instead doing other work, due to which terrorism has [risen] in the country,” he said, adding that the security situation in KP and Balochistan had worsened because “those responsible for guarding the borders were chasing the PTI instead”.
The KP CM quipped: “Where are those who imposed martial laws? They are not in Pakistan today. Who is suffering? My Pakistanis.”
The chief minister called for a dialogue “based on reasons”, saying he was ready to be punished severely if it was proven that he “conspired”. “Whoever’s mistake there is, they will admit it […] we are ready if they punish us, but if the matter comes to punishment, then every person [responsible] will be punished.”
Asked if the PTI would hold a dialogue with the military establishment or politicians, Gandapur said that decision was up to Imran, noting he has previously stated that talks must be held with “decision-makers” but there was no objection to government officials being included in the process.
The PTI leader urged “those who are the beneficiaries of this system and those who have hijacked it” to hold talks, stressing that they are “answerable” and “must bear the burden” for the country’s economic situation and heightened terrorism.
Gandapur also assailed the 26th Amendment passed in October last year, saying the judiciary had been “handcuffed” through it.
Gandapur called on the political parties in the ruling coalition to go into the public, which he said had “rejected” them.
He cautioned that those parties will then face the consequences later on of the “culture” they had developed. Addressing their supporters, he said, “They (leaders of other political parties) will flee abroad. You have to stay here.”
He asked if it was “right as a human and a Muslim” if a PTI leader’s home was raided and their privacy was violated. “If you are silent on this, then if this happens to you tomorrow, then no one will raise a voice for you either.”
Speaking about the PTI’s new movement, Gandapur referred to a “90-day announcement” made yesterday by his party, saying that they had begun from today.
He said the PTI has given itself 90 days to decide on its future. He detailed: “On August 5, we will take the movement to its peak through political means while following the laws and the Constitution.
“[…] We have set our targets that we have to decide within 90 days whether we should even do politics in this country […] if politics do not lead to a result, then we will let you know about our plan of action that will come forward.”
“Hum aar ya paar karein gain (We will either do or die),” the KP CM said, adding there was no use of politics in the country as “there is no politics”. He called the public to let the system continue as is if they wanted to remain “slaves” or join the PTI’s movement if they wanted “freedom”.
Responding to a query, Gandapur said that Imran was “leading the movement himself”.
Thanking PTI workers, leaders, its lawmakers and overseas supporters, Gandapur vowed to organise a grassroots movement upwards from the streets, towns, and cities.
A caravan of KP lawmakers led by CM Gandapur, as well as MPA Bhachar, reached Lahore via G.T. Road yesterday evening. During a layover in Jhelum, the KP CM said that the protest had been launched, and the parliamentary meeting in Lahore would mull the final protest strategy to step up the campaign seeking Imran’s release.
The PTI in the northern Punjab region has decided to rely on its grassroots workers to galvanise its support — a move which contrasts with its earlier practice of depending on heavyweights to drum up support for its protests.
