ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi accused Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur of spearheading a violent protest that injured dozens of police in an “attack” on Islamabad on Saturday, shortly after paramilitary Rangers stormed the province’s administration office in the capital, leading to claims of Gandapur’s arrest.
Gandapur, a close aide of former prime minister Imran Khan, was leading a protest caravan to Islamabad that clashed with the police on various places while trying to join a demonstration planned by his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party near the parliament building.
The PTI had announced a protest against proposed constitutional amendments that it claims are aimed at curtailing the independence of the judiciary, with the government repudiating the charge. The party has also been trying to mobilize supporters through protests and public gatherings to pressure the government for the release of Khan, who has been in prison since August last year and faces a slew of legal challenges.
Supporters and activists of former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party take part in a protest in Islamabad on October 5, 2024. (AFP)
“Islamabad was attacked under the leadership of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur,” Naqvi said during a media interaction in the federal capital, as he reiterated that the PTI wanted to create a situation where the government could not hold the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit scheduled to be held on October 15 and 16.
“The aim of these protesters was to sit here till October 17 and hold the procession,” he added. “They aimed to stop [international] delegations from coming to Islamabad.”
The minister maintained the PTI wanted violence and “dead bodies” to extract political mileage from the situation.
“Strict action will be initiated against the planners of this assault,” he said, adding that this also included the KP chief minister.
However, he did not respond to a question about Gandapur’s whereabouts.
Earlier, the PTI said in a social media post that Rangers had “forcefully entered KP House” and arrested a sitting chief minister of a province, prompting the state-own Pakistan Television (PTV) to deny “rumors” of Gandapur’s arrest which it said were “baseless.”
PTV quoted official sources, as local media channels widely aired videos of heavy deployment of law enforcement and paramilitary personnel at the KP House in Islamabad.
Syed Zulfikar Bukhari, a top PTI leader and close aide of ex-PM Khan, said in a social media post that Gandapur was “being held hostage in exchange for calling off the protest.” However, he added the party would not stop demonstrating against the government.
However, Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, KP’s spokesperson, said no one had any contact with the chief minister after initially announcing on X, formerly Twitter, that Gandapur was “under siege.”
Naqvi had also blamed the KP chief minister for leading a “horde” to Islamabad.
“The responsibility for this [protest] definitely lies with the [PTI] leadership [Imran Khan] from where these instructions came,” he told the media. “After that, if someone is practically implementing them, it is the CM KPK [Gandapur] who is responsible. The CM KPK is responsible for the [current] situation since he is leading the horde that is marching on Islamabad.”
“I will say it to them once again that if they cross any more lines, it will force us to take extreme steps,” he added.
The minister also said the police had arrested 41 Afghan nationals during the clashes with the PTI and apprehended 120 Afghan citizens in the last 48 hours.
He maintained the PTI protesters had fired upon police personnel on their way to Islamabad and injured about 85 of them during clashes.
Naqvi said later in the day the government would clear the city of all the protesters and make life easier for the residents of Islamabad.
