By Staff reporter
PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, a senior leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), forcefully rejected military operations in his province during a rally in Peshawar on Saturday, deepening tensions with coalition-led government over counterterrorism tactics.
His remarks came hours after a mortar shell explosion in Bajaur district killed four teenagers.
“We will not allow any operation and do not support it,” Gandapur told thousands of PTI supporters. “Federal government, listen: The KP government does not support operations or displacement.” He urged dialogue with Afghanistan to address terrorism, declaring, “We don’t want war, and we will raise our voice against it.”
Gandapur’s stance marks a shift from earlier positions, reflecting the fraught dynamics of counterterrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). In July, he called the armed forces “guests” invited by the provincial government, deserving respect. Yet, after a PTI parliamentary meeting this week, he criticized a military offensive in Bajaur, saying it killed civilians and eroded trust. On Tuesday, he acknowledged the military’s constitutional right to conduct strikes, noting the provincial government’s limited authority to intervene.
The rally also served as a platform for Gandapur to demand justice for PTI founder Imran Khan, his wife, and supporters. “Deliver justice to Imran Khan, his wife, and the people,” he urged the judiciary, emphasizing constitutional fidelity. Addressing army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, he invoked Khan’s support for the military during a May conflict with India, saying, “It is obligatory on you to play your role and sort out Imran’s issue.”
The Peshawar rally drew PTI supporters nationwide, according to party social media posts. Though not aired on television, the event was streamed online. Security included 1,451 police personnel, with snipers on rooftops, and 508 traffic officers, per a statement from Peshawar’s Chief Capital Police Officer Mian Saeed Ahmed.
PTI leaders, including Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan and provincial president Junaid Akbar, inspected arrangements beforehand. PTI leader Faisal Javed announced video messages from Khan, who is jailed, but the footage shown was from a prior event. Party leader Azam Swati vowed resilience, saying PTI would “continue to bear cruelty and barbarity” until Khan’s release to lead Pakistan toward “development, prosperity, and peace.”
PTI General Secretary Salman Akram Raja framed the rally as a protest against “lawlessness, constitutional violations, and curbs on free speech,” signaling broader grievances with the federal government.
The rally coincided with a deadly explosion in Bajaur, where a mortar shell killed four teenagers, aged 13 to 18, and injured two others, according to Bajaur District Police Officer Waqas Rafiq. The victims were rushed to Khar Bajaur District Headquarters Hospital. “Initial reports suggest a mortar shell exploded in the field,” Rafiq said.
Provincial assembly member Nisar Baaz Khan condemned the incident, alleging a quadcopter strike hit the village. “What crime had these innocent flower-like children committed?” he asked on social media. Questioning operations in areas declared “cleared” of terrorists, he added, “Are the lives of our children so cheap?”
The Bajaur incident follows last week’s airstrike in Tirah, which destroyed four homes and killed civilians, including children. A statement from the Chief Minister’s Secretariat called civilian deaths “regrettable and condemnable,” with Gandapur deeming such losses “unacceptable.”
Gandapur met a Tirah delegation, joined by PTI MNA Iqbal Afridi and senior officials, to review the region’s law and order crisis. His fluctuating rhetoric, criticizing military actions while acknowledging their mandate, underscores the challenge of governing a militancy-plagued province amid PTI’s anti-establishment stance.
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