• CM Gandapur says KP always on frontline in every movement.
• “PTI supporters always increased whenever I went to Islamabad.”
• Nation will never forget what PTI workers did on May 9: Tarar.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur said on Sunday that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was waiting for “clear instructions” from incarcerated party founder Imran Khan regarding the civil disobedience movement and “whatever he [PTI founder] decides, we would implement it in the same spirit”.

Earlier this month, the incarcerated PTI founder had warned the government of launching a “civil disobedience” movement if his demands, including the judicial probe into the crackdown on party supporters, are not met.

“There is no clarity until now,” said Gandapur while speaking to journalists in Peshawar today, adding that he was not the one who announced the civil disobedience movement but the PTI founder did.

He said after receiving “clear instructions”, the party would look into options for what needs to be done to initiate the movement.

The firebrand chief minister said: “The KP is always on the frontline whenever a movement is launched.” He added that it was still unclear from where to initiate the movement and what would be its phases.

Gandapur’s statement came just one day ahead of the civil disobedience movement announced by jailed Khan for Monday, December 16 (tomorrow).

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Imran — who claimed to have a “trump card” — had announced the constitution of a negotiation committee comprising Omar Ayub Khan, Gandapur, Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Asad Qaiser and others.

The committee, he said, would negotiate with the federal government on two points — the release of “political prisoners” facing trial and the constitution of a judicial commission to probe the events of May 9, 2023, and a late-night crackdown on PTI protesters on November 26.

“If these two demands are not accepted, a civil disobedience movement will be launched from December 14,” the jailed former premier had said, adding that the government would be responsible for the results of this movement. Later, the Imran Khan-founded party extended the date for civil disobedience to December 16.

Gandapur rejected the impression created by the federal government regarding a drop in popularity of the former ruling party following the abrupt end of its “final call” protest last month.

The KP chief executive, who led the PTI protests in Islamabad, claimed that the party supporters had always increased whenever he went to the federal capital [for protests].

Pointing towards the crackdown on the PTI leaders and supporters, he added that some people were not “showing up due to fear”.

Why Gandapur, Bushra left PTI protesters alone, questions Tarar

Reacting to Gandapur’s statement, Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that the former ruling party always indulged in protests and sit-ins as the party did not have any positive or constructive agenda.

Talking to media persons today, Tarar said that the series of incitement, threats and accusations was the style of the PTI leadership. He said it was important to inform the nation about the facts regarding the baseless allegations of KP CM.

Gandapur’s allegations were based on lies and concoctions, he said, adding now foreign media was invited to KP to give them misleading briefings.

The facts should be known to the public, as well as, mischief and anti-nationalism should be exposed, he remarked.

He said Gandapur had claimed the next call will not be peaceful but the question arises which of their past calls were peaceful. He said on November 26, they invaded the capital with AK-47 rifles, teargas shells, grenades and slingshots.

“The PTI first faked 1,200 dead bodies and spread AI-generated fake pictures on social media. If they were speaking the truth, their leadership would not have been given figures from 12 to 1,200 deaths,” he added.

Tarar said that PTI founder’s wife Bushra Bibi was misleading and inciting the workers through her address. He posed a question as to why Gandapur and Bushra ran away leaving their workers alone at D-Chowk.

About Gandapur, Tarar said he was a political and administrative failure who had failed to manage the affairs of the province as chief minister.

The minister said the nation will never forget what the PTI workers did on May 9 and all involved in arson and violence must face the law.

The audio of PTI workers abusing Gandapur was also available, he said, adding that they also pelted stones and plastic bottles on Gandapur as well and this showed what type of politics they were indulged in.

Tarar said the KP chief minister was a political failure and his future protest call would prove a disaster. He said that the PTI wanted to drag the armed forces into politics as the army high-ups refused to support it.

He said that only three or four journalists were included in the list, the rest were PTI political activists who had incited the people to violence. Strongly condemning the news, he urged the media to do responsible journalism.

With additional input from APP