Gandapur dares Centre to impose governor’s rule in KP

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Friday dared the federal government to impose the governor’s rule in the province.

“We are not interested in power and positions. We cannot be cowed down by the governor’s rule threat. Just go ahead,” he said while addressing the KP Assembly late-night session.

Delivering a speech in the House, which met over three hours behind schedule, he complained that whenever Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) launched a protest, its workers faced repression and bullets. “If peaceful political party workers come out for a rally to call for the release of party leader, bullets are fired at the participants of protest,” he complained.

The chief minister alleged that the PTI protesters were fired at in Chungi No26. “Don’t stage the dramas of Red Zone and D-Chowk. Firing was opened on us even before those points,” he said, adding that the PTI was facing an onslaught from conspirators everywhere who had joined hands against the party.

Referring to the use of force against the PTI workers, Gandapur reminded the federal government, “We too have arms and ammunition and the money as well.”

The chief minister said that he came under fire at different chowks in the federal capital.

“Let me put on record the CCTV cameras will be found dysfunctional this time as well like in the past,” he said while fearing that nothing would come out if there was a demand for an investigation into the violence in Islamabad.

He said that the firing on protesters was not opened for the first time. “It was done during Bhutto rule in 1977 and in Model Town in Lahore,” he alleged.

The chief minister said the KP people were suffering because of terrorism, asking why they were going through this situation.

Earlier, the chief minister announced Rs10 million each for the heirs of PTI activists who were allegedly killed during the protest in Islamabad. Sources said the chief minister announced this at the parliamentary party meeting ahead of the Khyber Assembly session.

The sources said that some of the important leaders, including Asad Qaiser, Muhammad Atif Khan, Ali Muhammad Khan, Shehram Tarakai and Shakil Khan, didn’t attend the meeting, pointing to differences within the party.