ISLAMABAD: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Wednesday accused Islamabad Police of “unfairly targeting” ethnic Pashtuns with arbitrary arrests and racial discrimination following violent anti-government protests last month, with the capital city’s police denying the allegations.
In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Gandapur accused Islamabad Police of arresting Pashtun laborers illegally and subjecting them to racial discrimination following last month’s protest by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in the capital, held to demand his release from prison.
Gandapur is the chief minister of KP, a Pashtun-majority province where Khan’s party is in power. The government says thousands of protesters arrived in Islamabad from KP, rather than Punjab or the federal capital. The protest march to the capital was led by Gandapur and Khan’s wife Bushra Khan.
The government says at least three personnel of the paramilitary Rangers force were killed while one cop lost his life, as Khan supporters clashed with law enforcers. The PTI says at least 20 of its supporters were killed and “hundreds” were wounded after being shot. The police denies this and says it arrested over 1,150 miscreants involved in the violent protests.
“I wish to bring to your attention a matter of concern regarding the treatment of Pashtun laborers in Islamabad, particularly in relation to the arbitrary rounding up and the filing of unfounded ATA [Anti-Terrorism Act] FIRS against them,” Gandapur wrote.
“These individuals, who are primarily involved in low-paying jobs, have been unfairly targeted in the aftermath of the recent incidents involving peaceful political protests organized by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.”
He said ethnic Pashtun laborers did not choose to arrive in the Pakistani capital but had been forced to come here after being displaced due to the prolonged effects of the so-called War on Terror, and various military operations over the past two decades.
Gandapur warned Sharif that such actions risk fostering “a sense of alienation and exclusion among communities,” saying it could ultimately lead to greater divisions and undermine the unity of the federation.
“I kindly request that you review the situation of the Pashtun workers in Islamabad and take immediate action to quash the bogus FIRS and release those who have been unjustly detained,” he wrote.
Rebutting the allegations, Islamabad Police said it had not arrested any “peaceful Pashtun” following the PTI-led protests.
“Legal action has been taken against miscreant elements, and not on the basis of any nationality or region,” police wrote on social media platform X.
The capital police condemned the “negative propaganda,” against it, terming it a conspiracy against Pakistan’s national security.
“The brave and courageous Pashtuns are the protectors of this homeland and the pride of the Pakistani nation,” it added.
