Imran annoyed at Gandapur’s meeting with Naqvi

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder chairman Imran Khan Thursday expressed his displeasure over the conduct of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur for his meeting with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, where some other party people were also present, sources said.

Imran believed that the chief minister should have resisted instead of accepting a new inspector general of police in the province.

The PTI founder discussed the overall political situation and the party’s organisational matters with senior PTI leaders, who met him in Adiala jail, Rawalpindi, where he is incarcerated.

It was learnt that the party supremo was apprised of the arrests and alleged harassment of leaders and workers, particularly in Punjab. Those who met him PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Shibli Faraz and the women wing leader Kanwal Shauzab.

According to sources, the PTI founder sent a message to the newly-appointed president of the party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Junaid Akbar through party leaders. Junaid Akbar is in the news these days for his strong statements.

Later, talking to the media, Shibli Faraz declared February 8 as a “black day” in Pakistan’s political history. He stated that instability has gripped the country since that day because the true representatives of the people are not present in parliament.

He criticised the current assemblies, saying that those sitting in them were rejected by the public and questioned how such individuals could legislate in people’s interest. He argued that laws like the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) and the 26th Amendment were examples of the kind of legislation these individuals would continue to pass.

He urged the government to form two independent commissions to address key issues, stating that if the government complied, his party would be willing to engage in negotiations. However, he emphasised that the government must demonstrate seriousness and sincerity in its approach.

Faraz also criticised the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), sarcastically suggesting that it should be awarded a medal for conducting the most controversial elections in the country’s history.

Separately, during a media talk, senior PTI members Faisal Chaudhry, Taimur Jhagra, Shahid Khattak, Suhail Afridi and Syed Fakhar Jahan condemned, what they described, a systematic disenfranchisement of voters and suppression of opposition voices.

Faisal Chaudhry accused the authorities of stealing the people’s mandate, particularly in Karachi, where he alleged that election results were manipulated. “The votes of the people have been stolen, and all seats in Karachi have been distributed like charity,” he said, adding he had warned that opening ballot boxes would invoke Article 6, which deals with treason.