Gandapur wanted dialogue, Imran was for agitation

ISLAMABAD: The ousted Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur had been advocating for dialogue instead of launching another protest march on Islamabad, arguing that agitation could lead to more bloodshed among party workers.

However, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder chairman Imran Khan reportedly rejected the advice, insisting on agitation to achieve his political goals and to secure his release from jail.

According to PTI insiders, Gandapur was reluctant to push for another confrontation after witnessing violence in the last November’s protest march.

“He was among those in the party who believed that agitational politics had not delivered and that dialogue should be given a fair chance,” said a senior party source, adding that Gandapur was even sure that he could secure the release of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi if given a free hand in negotiations.

The source further revealed that Murad Saeed had conveyed to the imprisoned PTI founder via Bushra Bibi’s family the name of Sohail Afridi as Gandapur’s replacement as chief minister. “Imran Khan reportedly did not know much about Sohail Afridi but, trusting Murad Saeed’s recommendation, named him the new CM,” the source claimed, adding that “perhaps Khan did not even know who Sohail Afridi was.”

Gandapur was also said to be deeply upset over trolling against him by PTI’s own social media teams, for which he primarily blamed Aleema Khan. The former chief minister had conveyed to Imran Khan that such internal divisions and social media attacks had weakened his position within the party.

“He urged Imran Khan to unite the party behind him but internal groupings and infighting continued,” the insider said. When contacted for his version, Gandapur did not respond to calls made to his mobile phone.