Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Wednesday vowed to send a delegation of the province to Afghanistan for talks aimed at “resolving” issues that have bolstered a resurgence of terrorism nationwide, particularly in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Gandapur’s fiery speech marked his first public appearance since Monday, when he was incommunicado for several hours, with party leaders alleging he was in the custody of the military establishment. However, upon his return, the party shifted its narrative, maintaining he was in a location with no mobile signals and had attended a “lengthy” meeting with security officials on the law and order situation in his province.
Addressing a ceremony of the Peshawar Bar Council Association, the chief minister claimed he had told a Apex Committee meeting that the trust of his people and police in the armed forces had broken. “My province is bleeding and they do not care,” he alleged, vowing to send a delegation of the provincial government to Afghanistan to hold dialogue and settle pending issues.
“I am accountable to people of my province, who voted for PTI and bring it into power,” he said, maintaining he would not compromise on his principles. “If they agree, that’s good, and if not, then very, very good,” he added.
In his speech, Gandapur stressed that he would stand by incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan regardless of any consequences. “I want to give a message to our leader [Imran Khan] that we support your ideology,” he said and urged all institutions to remain within their mandate for the benefit of the public, the country and themselves. He also reiterated a call for the establishment to engage in dialogue with Khan, despite the former prime minister making it clear earlier that he was “closing all doors” of negotiation.
On the cases registered against him after the Sangjani rally on the outskirts of Islamabad, the chief minister noted one of the accusations was that he had pointed a pistol at the deputy superintendent of police (DSP). Rejecting the allegations, he told the DSP to “mend your ways,” adding this was “not a threat.” He further claimed the content of his speech had been criticized for incitement, adding he was merely raising his voice for the people.
He also stopped short of apologizing for his “threatening” remarks against journalists, particularly women, stating it was not a huge concern if they spoke against him.