Gandapur warns both federal and Punjab governments of party plan.
“We have to get rid of this government,” says the KP chief minister.
KP CM’s remarks follow Aleema Khan’s complaint of mistreatment.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Tuesday warned the federal and Punjab governments that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) would shut down the entire country if its founder, Imran Khan, faced mistreatment in Adiala Jail.
These remarks by the KP CM, who is also the PTI president in KP, followed protests by Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, over a lack of facilities for her brother in jail, including unhygienic food — which she claimed caused him to vomit — and the disconnection of power to his cell since October 3.
“The federal and Punjab governments have adopted the worst attitude towards the PTI founder,” he said in a video shared on PTI’s official X account, highlighting the mistreatment Khan is being subjected to including the restrictions on his meetings with party and family members.
Asking the nation to stay prepared, the chief minister said, “The government’s days are numbered.”
“We have to get rid of this government by shutting down the whole of Pakistan and take the stolen mandate back,” he said, warning that the party’s next step after D-Chowk was only one [ and that the government won’t get a chance to escape.
In the video, the chief minister also called out the party’s alleged defectors following the passage of the 26th Constitutional Amendment.
“I want to tell the whole nation that those who betrayed Imran Khan whether for “money” or out of “cowardice” will go down in history as traitors — and there is no exception for them. They won’t be spared,” said Gandapur.
It should be noted that the KP CM has been on the frontline of the party’s protest-related developments and has taken an aggressive approach towards the federal government over Imran Khan’s prolonged imprisonment in Adiala jail.
Some PTI leaders fear that Gandapur’s fiery nature could pave the way for governor’s rule in KP.
A day earlier, party leader Sher Afzal Marwat expressed concerns about this possibility, warning, “[They] are giving the opponents a reason to end what remains of the provincial government,” said a PTI lawmaker.
The party continues to express concerns over Khan’s health, despite PTI Chairman Gohar Khan confirming his “good health” earlier this month after a team of doctors from the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences visited him at Adiala Jail.