- Says three workers were hit by bullets, and over 50 injured by shells as police continued firing, shelling every three kilometres
- Claims Punjab police personnel ‘fell into their hands’ but he had instructed for their release
PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Sunday declared that his party would respond to every bullet, shell and baton that would be used against its supporters, stating that there is no alternative to it.
KP CM Ali Amin Gandapur’s comment comes a day after he failed to join the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s protest in Rawalpindi as he got stuck at the Burhan Interchange, where he had to announce end to the protest and returned back with workers.
Following a day marked by chaos and unrest, the PTI announced new protest dates, bringing its Rawalpindi demonstrations to a close after the confrontations with law enforcement.
In a video message released late at night following protests in Rawalpindi, the KP chief minister said that they have been ‘wronged, their privacy violated,’ but they have not uttered a word of complaint for the sake of the country.
He further claimed that during the protests, they were fired upon, shells were launched, and they faced batons.
He stated that every three kilometres, the Punjab police continued to fire shells and bullets. Three of their workers were hit by bullets, and over 50 were injured by shells.
“More than 50 PTI workers have been injured in shelling as shells and bullets were fired every three kilometres on us,” he said.
He further said that some Punjab police personnel ‘fell into their hands, but he had instructed for their release.’
Gandapur said that his message is clear and ‘not intended as a threat, rather a final warning.’
Addressing institutions Gandapur said, “If they cannot listen to the voice of the people or respect their opinions, then they should step aside. Let the people make their own decisions, and allow political decisions to be made by political leaders—do not interfere.”
The Gandapur-led convoy remained stuck at the interchange for several hours due to closure of roads as the authorities had placed containers at Burhan Interchange in an attempt to thwart PTI’s protest.
Addressing the participants, the KP chief executive directed them to return to Peshawar and castigated the government for not granting PTI its “constitutional right”.
Vowing to come back with “all resources”, he regretted that the police fired teargas and rubber bullets at the protesters.
On the other hand, Gandapur said, scores of police officials were caught by the party activists but he rescued them.
“They [police] have set a precedent of firing bullets […] We also have guns,” he stated.
Meanwhile, he saluted the residents of KP and Rawalpindi Division over their support for the former ruling party.
PTI workers demand Gandapur’s resignation
Gandapur’s announcement to postpone the protest on Saturday drew strong opposition from the protesters as they refused to return and demanded his resignation.
The PTI workers surrounded the KP chief minister’s vehicle and staged a protest against the party leadership at Burhan Interchange.
However, the protest was called off after PTI leader Azam Swati’s intervention.
Speaking to the protesters, the former federal minister said they had cancelled the Rawalpindi protest on Imran Khan’s instructions. “We have to follow his [PTI founder] directives.”
Earlier, the Punjab government had imposed Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in Rawalpindi Division for two days, banning all political gatherings, sit-ins, rallies, protests, and similar activities.
PTI initially planned to hold a public rally at Liaquat Bagh but converted the event into a demonstration on the directives of the former prime minister.
It also withdrew its application seeking a no-objection certificate (NOC) to hold a rally from the Lahore High Court Rawalpindi bench.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Salman Akram Raja were also detained on their way to Rawalpindi near Sector H-13 only to be released shortly.
In a statement issued earlier, the PTI said Gohar and Salman were travelling to Rawalpindi when the police stopped their vehicle near Sector H-13 and took them into custody. “They [law enforcers] took both the leaders away in a van.”
