He says Naqvi is the only person who dared to speak in front of Field Marshal Asim Munir about Imran’s release.
Former Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Prime Minister Ali Amin Gandapur. Photo: Express News
Former Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Monday claimed that Home Minister Mohsin Naqvi had made more efforts than anyone else to secure the release of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan.
Imran, 73, has been imprisoned since August 2023 following convictions that he and the PTI consider politically motivated. Since his ouster in 2022 via a no-confidence vote, he has faced multiple cases, including state gifts and an illegal marriage. Some sentences have been suspended or overturned and appeals are pending. He denies any wrongdoing.
Naqvi has been a frequent target of criticism from Imran and his party amid his travails and challenges.
However, during an interview in Nadeem Malik live On a private broadcaster, Gandapur said: “No one else made the same level of effort. I have said this before, within the party, and now I say it on air: Mohsin Naqvi made vigorous efforts to resolve the issue. He made more efforts than anyone else to secure the release of Imran Khan.”
Gandapur said Naqvi had spoken in Imran’s favor even in front of Chief of Defense Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, which “no one else dared to do”. “Naqvi is the only person I have seen who can even get the field marshal to engage in conversation. But I have not seen anyone else do that,” the former prime minister said.
He further stated that the PTI was angry with Naqvi for how he had treated the party, “including me, Imran was angry with him, but now I recognize Naqvi’s role in trying to resolve the matter.”
Gandapur also mentioned that he no longer had any contact with the Home Minister and was not in any official position to discuss the matter.
Last year in October, Gandapur resigned as KP chief minister following the directives of the PTI founder.
Despite resigning, Gandapur remained a strong supporter of dialogue on Imran’s release. He frequently emphasized that any negotiations should involve only those who had genuine decision-making authority, making it clear that Imran would not engage in talks with people who lacked the necessary mandate.
Gandapur was noted to have a more cordial relationship with Naqvi than most others in the PTI.
