PTI retracts CM Ali Amin Gandapur’s arrest claim

The PTI has retracted its claims about Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur’s arrest, but the party maintained that Rangers personnel are still present at KP House in Islamabad.

In a statement on X, KP government spokesperson Barrister Muhammad Saif said the KP CM has not been formally arrested, but a heavy police and Rangers contingent is present at the KP House.

“The fake government will be held responsible for such unconstitutional and illegal acts.”

Gandapur was leading a PTI protest convoy that he left behind near Hassan Abdal and decided to visit Islamabad for unknown reasons. After coming to the city he went to the KP House which was raided by the police.

Before his arrival at the KP House today, Gandapur stated: “We have recorded our protest and demonstrated that PTI is a peaceful party. Our powers are limited, and we will proceed according to the directives from Imran Khan. If he orders us to stage a sit-in, we do so, and we will discuss our future strategy after consulting the founder of PTI.”

PTI leaders earlier claimed that Rangers personnel had “forcefully entered” KP House to arrest CM Gandapur after he arrived in the capital to become a part of his party’s protest.

Rangers have forcefully entered KP House and launched an aggressive attack in an attempt to arrest KPK chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur, said the party in a post on X.

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“This blatant abuse of power raises serious concerns about the state of lawlessness in Pakistan.

“After failing to stop the public from reaching Islamabad, they have now resorted to arresting a sitting chief minister of a province.

“Those in key institutions are determined to push the country towards anarchy, solely to retain their illegitimate power, without realizing the irreparable damage they are inflicting on Pakistan.”

PTI leader Omar Ayub Khan claimed that the KP chief minister had been “arrested illegally from KP House Islamabad.”

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“Rangers and Islamabad Police have breached the territory of KP and have executed an illegal arrest,” Omar said in a post on X.

He wrote that the KP chief minister had been granted bail by the Peshawar High Court.

“CM Ali Amin Khan is part of the ‘state’ as defined in the Constitution.

“Rangers, Police, and Armed Forces are tools of the ‘state’. Has martial law been imposed in Pakistan??? This action will be the death knell for this Form 47 government.”

In a related development, the Punjab government also issued orders for army troops to be deployed to maintain law and order situation during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.

As per the notification, security will be ensured at airports, roads, venues, and surrounding areas, Aaj News reported. Security will also be provided to foreign delegates during the upcoming SCO summit.