In a sharp rebuke to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar has condemned the firebrand leader’s call for armed protests.
Reacting to the controversial statement, the minister highlighted the alleged history of the former ruling party resorting to violent tactics. “Armed protest demonstrations along with illegal Afghan immigrants are a hallmark of the PTI,” the minister said on Saturday.
They (the PTI) previously marched on the federal capital with armed groups, the 38-year-old PML-N politician stressed, adding that their protests had never been peaceful.
The minister’s condemnation comes hours after the firebrand KP CM called on PTI founder Imran Khan to cease advocating for peace while warning the incumbent federal government that party workers will take to the streets with “guns” next time.
“Imran Khan! for God’s sake, stop advocating for peace. Next time, we will not talk about peace. When we come out with weapons, we will show who runs away,” Gandapur said while addressing a ceremony in Abbottabad on Saturday.
In his reaction to the chief minister’s statement, the Information Minister accused Gandapur’s security guard of engaging in violence, stating that eyewitnesses saw him opening fire.
They aim to play politics over dead bodies, he added.
The minister recalled two major PTI-led protests — May 9 and November 26 — which he described as the “dark chapters” in the country’s history.
The PML-N leader also claimed that people of KP have already rejected the approach of the Imran Khan-led party, saying: “Masses have turned their backs on PTI and will do the same by rejecting the party’s any future calls for protests as well.”
Lambasting the PML-N-led coalition government, Gandapur likened it to fascism, saying that his party is waging a war against the fascist regime. “Fascism has trampled on Pakistan’s Constitution, law, morality and humanity,” he added.
