- CM urges PM to quash all ‘fake’ FIRs lodged against KP civilians.
- Asks him to order the release of those who have been “unjustly detained”.
- It emphasizes the need to resolve problems through constructive dialogue.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has written a letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, highlighting the “mistreatment of KP civilians, including rounding up and filing unfounded FIRs” in Islamabad following the PTI’s “do or die” protest.
The chief minister’s decision to approach the prime minister comes more than a week after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf officially called off its much-vaunted protest in Islamabad on November 27.
The former ruling party’s high-profile protest in Islamabad, launched on November 24, seeking the release of PTI founder Imran Khan, who had been imprisoned for over a year, culminated in the PTI’s hasty withdrawal after the repression of demonstrators at midnight by the government.
The party founded by Imran Khan has since claimed that at least 12 of its workers were killed and 1,000 others arrested. However, the government categorically denied using live ammunition against protesters and said four law enforcement officers, including three Rangers and two police officers, were martyred during the protest.
In the letter which surfaced earlier today, the chief minister expressed his concerns, highlighting the unwarranted prosecutions under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) against the poor residents of the province.
“I hope this message finds you well. I wish to draw your attention to an area of concern regarding the treatment of Pashtun workers in Islamabad, particularly with regard to arbitrary arrests and filing of unfounded ATA FIRs against them,” the chief minister wrote in a letter.
“These people, who are mainly engaged in low-paid jobs, have been unfairly targeted following the recent incidents involving peaceful political protests organized by the PTI,” the chief minister added.
He recalled that in October this year, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had to go to Peshawar and seek help from a political party, the Jirga, in the province, to ease tensions following of an unfortunate incident involving the “Pashtun Adalat Jirga”.
“The situation was resolved through a collective effort, transcending political divisions,” he added.
In a federation like Pakistan, Gandapur said, it is essential that political issues are addressed through peaceful and constructive dialogue, rather than from a “majoritarian perspective.”
He urged the Prime Minister to review the situation and take immediate steps to “cancel the false FIRs and release those who have been unjustly detained”.
The incumbent PML-N-led government, since the protest called by the PTI founder in early November, has swung into action to deter protesters from reaching and entering the federal capital.
Apart from deploying a large number of riot police, the administration blocked several roads in the federal capital and various roads leading to the city with shipping containers.
However, despite these measures, convoys of PTI cohorts managed to enter Islamabad and even reach D-Chowk in the red zone, where sensitive government buildings, including parliament, are located.
The entire “last call” saga eventually petered out, with protesters hastily withdrawing from the federal capital following the government-led operation against the protesters.