Pakistan: KP CM Gandapur pledges unconditional support to Imran Khan amidst security concerns

Peshawar [Pakistan], September 12 (ANI): Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, who remained "unreachable" for several hours following his explosive speech at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) September 8 rally in Islamabad, resurfaced at a ceremony of the Peshawar Bar Council Association on Wednesday, saying he would stand by jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan come what may, as per reports by Geo News.
Gandapur had been "unreachable" for several hours after making an explosive speech at the PTI's September 8 rally in Islamabad.
At the party's September 8 rally in Islamabad, the KP chief minister declared, "I want to give a message to our leader [Imran Khan] that we support your ideology."
The minister had been "missing" for hours prior to the new rally against the former ruling party due to a breach of the recently passed public gathering law.
PTI member Shahid Khattak, who is also a member of the National Assembly (MNA), verified the development. According to sources of Geo News, the chief minister was "busy in various meetings" in the federal capital following the party's power display.
After his return, the opposition party maintained that Gandapur had a lengthy meeting with government representatives to discuss the state of law and order in the province and that he was not reachable because of cell phone jammers at the meeting site.
Speaking to the members of the bar council today, the KP CM urged the organisations to change their ways, claiming that doing so would benefit the populace, the nation, and each individual.
"Sit with the incarcerated PTI founder and resolve issues" was another request he made. He declared, "Lifting the nation, not the ego, should be our goal."
Gandapur stated that he had informed the apex committee that there is no longer any confidence between the police and his people in light of the recent terror attacks in the region. He lamented, "My province is bleeding and they do not care."
As per Geo News, since the Taliban rulers retook control of Afghanistan in 2021, the country has been reeling from an increase in violent attacks, especially in the neighbouring regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. 25 people lost their lives in the 29 terrorist acts that occurred in August in the KP alone.
In order to hold talks and resolve the concerns, the chief minister announced that a provincial government delegation will be travelling to adjacent Afghanistan. "The people of my province, who supported the PTI and helped it win power, are the ones to whom I answer," he said.
"I am accountable to people of my province who voted for PTI and brought it into power... If they agree, that's good, and if not, then very very good," he added. (ANI)