Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has formally demanded the immediate release of citizens from his province who were arrested following the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protest in Islamabad on November 24.
In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Gandapur condemned the arrest of the province’s residents, terming their detention illegal and a violation of their basic human rights.
Gandapur’s letter comes after a series of confrontations between PTI protestors and law enforcement during the protest in Islamabad.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CM asserted that the arrests specifically targeted workers from his province, despite their peaceful participation in the protest organized by PTI leadership.
In the letter, Gandapur highlighted the unjust treatment of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa citizens who, he argued, were unfairly targeted after the PTI protest march from D-Chowk.
"This is a blatant violation of the fundamental rights of our citizens," he wrote, urging for their immediate release.
The November 24 protest march, initially led by PTI chairman Imran Khan, was followed by a demonstration in Islamabad that included key PTI figures such as Bushra Bibi and Ali Amin Gandapur.
Following clashes with police on November 26, the protest turned chaotic, resulting in the fleeing of protest leaders, including Bushra Bibi and Ali Amin Gandapur, who left for Mansehra via Haripur that evening. Meanwhile, the majority of protestors dispersed and returned home.
Subsequent reports emerged suggesting a high number of casualties during the protest. Ali Amin Gandapur, along with PTI General Secretary Salman Akram Raja and Sardar Latif Khosa, claimed multiple fatalities due to alleged firing by law enforcement.
However, federal officials, including Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, rejected these claims, demanding evidence of such incidents.
In the aftermath of the protest, Islamabad and Rawalpindi police arrested around 1,400 individuals, accusing them of engaging in violent protests, damaging property, and blocking roads.
Several PTI leaders, including Imran Khan, Ali Amin Gandapur, and Aleema Khan, were named in the cases, with anti-terrorism charges also included.
The detained protestors, including former President Dr. Arif Alvi, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub, Senator Azam Swati, and many other local PTI leaders, have been accused of inciting violence and disrupting public order during the protest.
