ISLAMABAD: Police and paramilitary Rangers stormed the official guesthouse and administrative office for the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province in Islamabad on Saturday after federal authorities accused Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur of leading a violent protest to the capital and warned him not to “cross any more lines.”
Gandapur, a close aide of former prime minister Imran Khan, was said to be arrested by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, though local media quoted official sources as denying the news of his apprehension. The recent development happened as PTI announced a protest near the parliament building against proposed constitutional amendments that it claims are aimed at curtailing the independence of the judiciary, with the government repudiating the charge.
The PTI is also 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.
“Rangers have forcefully entered KP House and launched an aggressive attack in an attempt to arrest CM KPK Ali Amin Gandapur,” the PTI said in a social media post. “This blatant abuse of power is deeply shameful, raising serious concerns about the state of lawlessness in Pakistan.”
The federal government had suspended mobile services and placed shipping containers at the entry and exit points of Islamabad to prevent the PTI protest, describing it as an attempt to sabotage the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in the capital this month.
Khan’s party said the government had failed to stop people from reaching Islamabad despite taking all such measures and had “now resorted to arresting a sitting Chief Minister of a province.”
Local media channels ran statements from official sources denying the arrest, even as they widely aired videos of heavy deployment of law enforcement and paramilitary personnel at the KP House in Islamabad.
Shortly before the development, Federal Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi blamed the PTI for carrying out violent protests and accused Gandapur of 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 stated that the government would not allow anyone to sabotage the SCO summit.
A day earlier, he had also maintained that the government’s decision to block roads and prevent the protest in Islamabad was aimed at ensuring an environment where adequate security could be provided to all state guests.