Days after being forced to retreat to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) amid dozens of casualties at the protest march, the Parliamentary Committee of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has decided to head back to Islamabad with “full preparations”.
As per the details, KP Chief Minister (CM) Ali Amin Gandapur chaired a meeting of the party’s parliamentary committee at the CM House with Members of Provincial Assembly (MPAs) and Members of National Assembly (MNAs) in attendance.
During the meeting, the party’s lawmakers expressed confidence in CM Gandapur and discussed law enforcement’s violence against PTI workers in the federal capital. They also put forth their suggestions for the future.
The parliamentary committee expressed displeasure over the party’s central leadership and questioned why was it absent when “law enforcement opened fire at D-Chowk”.
Despite the government repeatedly denying claims regarding the use of lethal rounds, the PTI leadership maintains that dozens of its supporters were killed after security forces opened fire during Tuesday night’s grand clearance operation.
The KP CM had on Friday night also issued threats to the federal government, saying, “We are coming back to Islamabad, and a decision has been made regarding this.”
“We will fight for our rights, and if we do not receive justice, we will respond in the same manner… our children have been martyred,” he said on the floor of the KP Assembly.
Gandapur also responded to the claims regarding the imposition of Governor’s Rule in the province. “We are not interested in power and positions. We cannot be intimidated by such threats. Try us,” he added.
Earlier, Adviser to PM on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah had stated that the federal cabinet, in its meeting, discussed the option of imposing Governor’s Rule in KP.
He said the matter came up for consideration as KP’s resources were being used to “stage violent protests” in Islamabad.
While a majority of federal cabinet members supported the proposal, consensus could not be reached with allies of the ruling PML-N.
Awami National Party (ANP) chief Aimal Wali Khan, while addressing a press conference along with KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Friday, said that Governor’s Rule in KP was not the solution to the ongoing crises.
Governor Kundi himself also opposed Governor’s Rule, but added that he had only heard about it on the news.
Kundi also reacted to a recently-tabled resolution in the Punjab Assembly, which sought a ban on the PTI. “The events of May 9 and November 24 provide enough justification for a ban. PTI has been a disruptive force in the province for years.”