By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The mysterious disappearance of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur came to an abrupt end on Sunday, after he re-emerged without revealing his whereabouts during a 24-hour absence that sparked widespread speculation.
Gandapur attended a provincial assembly session, claiming he spent the night at the KP House and was arrested; however, he did not disclose further details.
The emergency KP Assembly session, initially scheduled for 2 pm, was delayed for five hours due to Gandapur’s uncertain whereabouts. The provincial assembly, later, passed a resolution demanding his presentation within 24 hours.
Gandapur’s whereabouts had been unknown after Police and paramilitary Rangers raided the KP House in Islamabad on Saturday evening. Authorities accused Gandapur of leading a violent protest to the capital and warned him not to “cross any more red lines”.
Initially, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party claimed Gandapur, who led Imran Khan supporters’ caravans to Islamabad from the KP province, was “kidnapped”, but later retracted.
Upon his return, Gandapur was greeted with cheers and applause from lawmakers.
He claimed to have spent the night at the KP House. “I was arrested,” Gandapur said in a fiery speech, thanking PTI supporters for standing with party founder Khan.
“Police raided the KP House multiple times. I was there the whole night,” the chief minister said. “They informed me there was an FIR (First Information Report) but didn’t explain what it was for or the charges.”
Gandapur accused Islamabad’s Inspector-General of Police and Rangers of raiding the KP House, sealing its gates, and mistreating staff and women. “They fired on us directly, shelled us, and didn’t have an FIR,” he said. “I asked what crime I had committed and told them if they wanted to arrest me, they could, as instructed by Imran Khan.”
The chief minister expressed pride in the nation’s support for Khan, framing the events as a historic attack on his party. “This is a historic event where the government is coming together and attacking our party – they have exposed themselves,” Gandapur said.
“They took our electoral symbol, then they abducted our people and forced them to defect, but none of them have won.
Earlier, PTI leader Asad Qaiser had accused the government of “abducting” Gandapur, warning of a nationwide protest if he wasn’t produced within 24 hours.
“If the KP chief minister is not produced within 24 hours, the PTI will stage a nationwide protest,” Qaiser told reporters outside the KP Assembly. “We categorically say that this is not an attack on Gandapur but on the whole country. If it has happened to the PTI, it will happen to you too, as not even the chief executive of a province is safe.”
Hundreds of supporters of the ousted premier Khan clashed with police in Islamabad on Friday and Saturday, as they attempted to hold a protest at the restricted D-Chowk area in the capital.
The demonstrations were organized against proposed constitutional amendments that the party says aim to curtail judicial independence. Khan, who has been imprisoned since August last year on multiple charges, is also at the center of the PTI’s protest campaign. Khan supporters have been holding rallies and gatherings to pressure the government for his release
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