LAHORE:
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Prime Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has challenged political forces that threaten to expel his government, stating that the PTI formed his government in KP on the basis of his own strength, not through anyone’s support.
Gandapur made the comments while heading to the party leaders and spoke with the media during a meeting on a farm on the Lahore Raiwind road on Saturday. KP’s CM arrived at Lahore on Saturday night, leading a convoy of PTI legislators along with PTI president, Gohar Ali Khan.
By launching a strong criticism of the chief Fazlur Rehman of Jui-F, Gandapur said that the chief of the religious party was deceitful voters and lacked public support. The PTI leader said that the public had “rejected” the Chief of Jui-F.
“It would be better if La Mauna brought changes within itself instead of trying to impose a change in KP. Fazlur Rehman was chosen through a false mandate and has no authority to speak on behalf of the people of the province,” he added.
Gandapur said Fazl has only one national assembly and two seats from the Provincial Assembly for merit, while the rest secured through an alleged manipulation through form 47. “He cheated on people, and that is why he could not win in his own constituency,” he said.
He also announced the launch of a new political movement that, he said, would begin in Lahore.
“Every time a movement begins from Lahore, it resonates in Pakistan,” he said, emphasizing that the campaign would be molded by terrestrial realities and will be carried out in consultation with the party leaders. He promised to intensify the movement since August 5, urging supporters to prepare for decisive action.
When addressing the ongoing political tensions, Gandapur also criticized the recent suspension of the opposition members of the Punjab Assembly and described the illegal measure.
He warned that if such actions continued, he would respond by eliminating the presidents of the committee appointed by the Punjab government in the KP. Gandapur reiterated the position of his party that former Prime Minister Imran Khan, currently imprisoned, is innocent and confronts politically motivated positions.
“There is no case against our leader,” he said, adding that the direction of the movement should be shaped by the country’s political circumstances instead of comparisons between Punjab and the KP.
Previously, a convoy of PTI legislators arrived in Lahore from Islamabad, indicating what party officials described as the beginning of a renewed political movement. The visit occurred in the middle of a greater police presence, arrests of party workers and increasing tensions with the Punjab government.
The convoy arrived at the Raiwind Road farm of former Senate Vice President Mirza Muhammad Afridi, located near the Sharif family farm in Lahore. A dinner and strategic meetings of PTI parliamentary committees were scheduled.
According to party experts, discussions would focus on protest planning and legislative responses to the recent suspension of PTI legislators in the Punjab assembly.
Given the predominant political climate in both Punjab and the KP, meetings are considered politically significant. Conversations are also expected to address the future political strategy and the potential of alliances between regional power blocks.
Previously, the arrival of the convoy to Shahdara Mor met a great deployment of the Punjab police.
According to PTI sources, the officers arrested four party workers, including the ticket holders engineer based in Lahore Yasir Gilani. Although Gilani was released later, arrests fed new accusations of political harassment by PTI’s leadership. Access to the media to the site was restricted and a scheduled press interaction was canceled due to security concerns.
Previously in Jhelum, Gandapur declared that leadership was formulating a road map to maintain movement until at least August 5. “We want consensus through consultation. Our leadership and workers are in jail, but our commitment remains unwavering,” he said.
Meanwhile, the president of the PTI, the lawyer Gohar Ali Khan, said that any announcement on the protest campaign will come directly from the founder of the Imran Khan party. He said that Lahore’s visit was intended to meet with party legislators and finish the future direction of the movement within the law.
The opposition leader of the Punjab Assembly, Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachaha, welcomed the convoy in a video message, calling him a “symbolic awakening” of Punjab. “The people of Lahore are on the streets to welcome their leaders,” he said.
The political mobilization is carried out in the context of the suspension of June 27, 26 PTI legislators, after its protest during the discourse of CM Maryam Nawaz to the Punjab Assembly.
Since then, thousands of PTI workers have been arrested or accused when the party increases their opposition to the policies of the provincial government.
“PTI has now formally launched its protest movement,” Bhachaha said. “The raids are underway in Punjab, and we are not afraid of these arrests. Our central leadership and the parliamentary parties of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab meet at Lahore to end our course of action.”
Previously, PTI legislators, including Punjab parliamentarians, as well as the members of the Provincial Assembly converged in Islamabad to attend a meeting convened by CM Gandapur in House KP.
Gandapur emphasized that KP leadership intends to work with the opposition for political stability in the country. He reiterated PTI’s commitment to continue increasing his voice within the constitutional limits and in all available forums.
