After Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders claimed about losing contact with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur following a raid at the KP House, the federal government on Sunday cleared the air on the matter saying that Gandapur was not in the custody of any federal institution.
Gandapur had gone into self-imposed hiding since yesterday, said the federal government, as the provincial executive remains incommunicado since last night.
The abrupt “disappearance” of firebrand politician and chief executive of KP has raised many questions, besides fuelling speculations of his arrest, as the PTI continues its protest in Islamabad.
Addressing media in Islamabad during a presser, flanked by KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi admitted that the law enforcement agencies did carry out a couple of raids at the KP House in Islamabad, suspecting that the chief minister might be there but he was not present at the location.
“We do not have the knowledge if he has reached KP or not. However, a camera footage of him fleeing the KP House is available,” he said, dismissing the reports of the KP chief minister being in police custody.
The interior minister said Gandapur was not in custody of any other institution as well. He reiterated that the PTI leader himself fled somewhere.
However, he said, if he was present in Islamabad then the federal capital police was after him. “He is sought by police,” he added.
Meanwhile, the governor said Gandapur had gone into self-imposed hiding since Saturday.
“Ali Amin is playing on both sides of the wicket,” he said, adding that an emergency session of the KP Assembly had been convened over the matter of Gandapur’s hiding.
Apparently, pointing towards alleged participation of Afghan nationals in the political party’s protest, Kundi said it was the most frightening thing that terrorists were brought in by the PTI for the protest.
Meanwhile, the KP government on Sunday approached the Peshawar High Court (PHC) against the disappearance of CM Gandapur.
KP Advocate General Shah Faisal said that a writ petition had been prepared in this regard and the court would be requested to take it up today.