Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur turned up in the KP Assembly on Sunday almost 30 hours after he went missing from the KP House in Islamabad.
He arrived in the assembly when the assembly was in session. Before his arrival, the august house passed a resolution against his “disappearance”.
An emergency session of the KP Assembly was scheduled to start at 2:00pm to address the alleged disappearance of CM Gandapur. But it got delayed and started five hours late. Supporters of PTI also protested in the assembly.
Live footage showed lawmakers from the treasury benches welcoming him and hugging him as he arrived in the House. They chanted slogans in his favour.
Before Gandapur’s speech, KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati spoke about the “assault” by police and Rangers on the KP House. He mentioned that the opposition cited that Gandapur did not take the House into confidence when a similar situation occurred in the past.
“This is history that all of these have gathered to attack our party and Imran Khan. All of them have been exposed,” Gandapur said on the floor of the House.
He claimed that “not even six members of the opposition” became lawmakers after winning votes. Gandapur asked why PTI was not allowed to stage the rally. “Why do they panic and not allow having rallies.”
The KP CM said that his caravan reached Kala Shah Kaku at 5:15pm and they were not late for the Sangjiani rally. But he admitted police raised many barricades, blocking his route. Similar attempts were made during the PTI’s second rally, he added.
Gandapur said that supporters of PTI managed to reach D-Chowk despite tear gas shells, trenches, blockades, and shipping containers on the roads.
“We then decided to go to KP House as the people were tired from the last two days. We planned to meet Imran Khan and follow his next plans. The moment I reached there and let people there rest, the IGP of Islamabad with Rangers arrived there. Shipping containers were placed outside the gates.”
The KP chief minister accused the police of direct firing while speaking about the police action to counter protests.
He claimed that the May 9 events were a “drama”.
Gandapur added that the IGP “would not just apologise, but bear the expenses of items damaged in the KP House.” He claimed that police still had placed “people” in that place.
“He [IGP] has used abusive language over there regarding me. How dare he abuse me? He has to apologise. Listen, IG Sahab, I was there [KP House] the whole night. Police raided that place four times, the KP CM said.
Gandapur said that the government would register an FIR if the IGP not apologise on the floor of the House. “If he does not appear, then we take revenge for our disrespect.”
The KP CM called for making amends.
He wondered will the governor’s rule change the situation in the province.
“I have come after crossing 12 districts. Neither had I left my car, weapon, not my government. I have also received threats. Who would have been responsible if something happened to me? I had no money in my pocket when I left for the rally. A maximum of three people were with me. When I reached here, I got to know that you are holding a session, so I arrived here to say thank you.”
Gandapur added that he “would never allow” raids on political rivals.
The KP chief minister urged all institutions and political parties to make amends and warned of the day “when the children would take revenge”.
Gandapur warned that “if decision-makers did not head towards right thinking then people should understand that they are not our protectors. Even, if they did not do this, then I think they are traitors.”
He expressed hope that every institution would sit together and make a decision.
The session was adjourned till Monday 3pm. The House would talk on the same agenda.
A resolution concerning the disappearance of Gandapur and the raid on the KP House was passed with a significant majority in the KP Assembly.
The resolution – moved by provincial Law Minister Aftab Alam demanded that the speaker seek a report regarding the CM’s alleged disappearance from all relevant institutions.
In response, KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati summoned the inspector general of police, chief secretary, and principal secretary for tomorrow (Monday).
The speaker announced the formation of a parliamentary committee to investigate the chief minister’s disappearance and the incident at the KP House. He has sought opinions from the advocate general and the law minister on the matter.
Swati stated that both government and opposition members would be included in the committee and the committee members would be notified later. The committee would submit its report within a specified timeframe and would also review videos and conduct interviews with people.
The speaker mentioned that the IGP of Islamabad and the IG Rangers would investigate the KP House attack while the committee would look into the vandalism at the KP House.
“My son was present there; he narrated the entire story to me,” the assembly speaker said.
The KP Assembly speaker was “adamant” about issuing a production order for the chief minister, but the Assembly Secretariat was in a state of “confusion,” according to sources, leading to the delay in the session.
The assembly administration stated that they were unsure whom to issue the production order to, as both the IGP and chief secretary were “unaware” of the situation. They questioned how they could inquire with the administration and police.
Following this, the KP speaker summoned the advocate general for KP and legal experts while former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser was also consulting with the provincial speaker.
In the session, the provincial assembly speaker inquired from Advocate General for KP Shah Faisal about the status of the KP House and also requested clarification on Article 149 (Directions to Provinces in certain cases) of the Constitution.
In response, AG Shah Faisal stated that, according to the law, no person can enter any house without permission, whether it be the Balochistan House, KP House, or Sindh House. “If someone enters without permission, it would be illegal.”
He likened the KP House to a foreign embassy, explaining that just as one cannot enter an embassy without permission, similarly, no one can enter the KP House without authorisation.
The advocate general further remarked that the chief secretary was “not qualified” to be granted authority under Article 149.
According to a notice, the session will discuss the CM’s alleged abduction, as well as the alleged mistreatment of women and children at the KP House in Islamabad. Further topics on the agenda include damage to and occupation of KP House property, and alleged violence by Islamabad police.
In a statement, Adviser to the KP CM Muhammad Ali Saif stated that the assembly session was called in response to the current political situation.
Earlier, Saif said that the CM’s whereabouts were unknown, stating that he last spoke with Gandapur via satellite phone at 8:00am and that subsequent attempts to contact him by phone had been unsuccessful.
Speaking on a private television programme, he said that the provincial chief minister was with his staff when Rangers officials arrived at the KP House.
He reiterated the inability to contact the chief minister by phone and emphasised that arresting Gandapur would constitute contempt of court, given his bail from the Peshawar High Court.
