Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CM arrested in Islamabad, claims Imran Khan's PTI

Islamabad: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf on Saturday claimed that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur was "arrested" after he arrived here to join a protest planned by the jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party.

However, there was no official confirmation of Gandapur's arrest.

Advisor to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister on Information, Muhammad Ali Saif, also did not confirm Gandapur's formal arrest.

He said that the chief minister was on bail, which was granted by the Peshawar High Court. Geo News quoted Saif as saying that Gandapur has not been formally arrested, though the KP House was surrounded by police.

According to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), after a gruelling journey of several hours, Gandapur, who was leading a caravan of protestors, reached Islamabad late Saturday afternoon and headed to the KP House instead of the planned protest venue, D-Chowk.

The party further said a "big contingent" of police and paramilitary Rangers reached the KP House, which is the official residence of provincial chief in the capital, apparently to arrest him.

“KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has been arrested from KP House in Islamabad,” PTI said in a WhatsApp message.

“He has been tricked. And Arrest. KP House sealed,” PTI international spokesperson Zulfiqar Bukhari said in the WhatsApp message, adding that it is an attack on the federation.

When asked how the CM was "tricked", Bukhari said Gandapur was asked to hold talks with the government and arrested instead.

PTI senior leader Omar Ayub Khan in an X message also confirmed that Gandapur has been arrested.

“Rangers and Islamabad Police have breached the territory of KP and have executed an illegal arrest. CM Ali Amin Khan has been granted bail by the Peshawar High Court,” he said.

In a post on X, PTI said, “Rangers have forcefully entered KP House and launched an aggressive attack in an attempt to arrest CM KPK Ali Amin Gandapur. This blatant abuse of power is deeply shameful, raising 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." Earlier in the day, a district and sessions court in Islamabad issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Gandapur in an illegal arms and alcohol recovery case.

Judicial Magistrate Mubashir Hussain Zaidi issued the order after Gandapur failed to appear in court in relation to the case registered at Barakahu Police Station.

The court directed law enforcement to produce the chief minister by October 12 and adjourned the hearing.

Addressing a press conference on Friday, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said no one will be allowed to come near the red zone of Islamabad and “sabotage the SCO conference”, which will be held peacefully and in an efficient manner.

“The solution to anti-state activities is that the army has been called in; the Rangers are also present; the red zone has been sealed; and no one can be allowed to take the law into their hands,” he said.

Tarar said "there are terrorists in the (KP) province, and they are moving towards Islamabad". He said Gandapur is a "non-serious" man and his actions are destructive for the country and cannot be allowed.

Separately, defence minister Khawaja Asif in an interaction with journalists alleged that the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terror outfit was an offshoot of PTI, and accused that the political party has taken help from Afghanistan as its armed supporters were "planning to storm Islamabad".

“The PTI is repeating the same action after 10 years. The chief executive of one province is attacking another province,” he said, adding that government machinery was being used for the attack.

The minister claimed that armed groups that included hundreds of Afghan nationals were coming towards the federal capital.

The call for protest was given by PTI founder Khan who has been incarcerated at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail for more than a year.

The PTI is protesting for the release of Khan, to express solidarity with the judiciary, and against inflation.