CM Gandapur returns home after being 'missing' for 8 hours

After remaining missing for almost 8 hours, Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur returned to his government residence in Peshawar in the wee hours of Tuesday.

The development was confirmed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker Shahid Khattak in a post on the microblogging site X.

"Chief Minister Ali Amin has returned," he informed.

وزیراعلی علی امین واپس پہنچ گیے ہے

— Shahid Khattak (@ShahidkhattakSk) September 9, 2024

Earlier on Monday night, Adviser to CM on Information Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif expressed fear of the arrest of Gandapur.

He claimed that the PTI firebrand leader was arrested by the federal government.

The KP CM spokesperson said that he was informed by Gandapur at 3pm that he was en route to Islamabad to attend a meeting.

"Since then, Gandapur's phone has been off and his close staff’s contact numbers are also unreachable since 6pm," he added.

On the other hand, the opposition leader in the Nation Assembly, Omar Ayub Khan, said CM Gandapur was being "held incommunicado by the Federal Government/Establishment after being invited for a cup of tea."

"His security staff is not traceable, and their phones are powered off. 

This is the state of affairs in Pakistan today. Our party Chairman arrested, MNAs arrested and some taking protection inside Parliament House with a heavy Police contingent outside, bogus FIRs registered against the Leader of the Opposition and Parliamentary Leader, and arrest is imminent," PTI stalwart wrote in a post on X.

IMMEDIATE!!!
Chief Minister KP Ali Amin Khan Gandapur is being held incommunicado by the Federal Government/ Establishment after being invited for a cup of tea.
His security staff is not traceable, and their phones are powered off.
This is the state of affairs in Pakistan…

— Omar Ayub Khan (@OmarAyubKhan) September 9, 2024

"All this is being done because PTI and our Allies held a peaceful protest in Islamabad on 8th September, 2024," he added.

Several PTI leaders, including Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan, MNAs Sher Afzal Marwat, Hamid Raza, Zain Qureshi and others were arrested outside the Parliament House following the National Assembly session on Monday night.

A slap to the face of an already decimated democracy in Pakistan.

The military backed, authoritarian, illegitimate regime is now illegally arresting & abducting PTI’s elected members of Parliament, from the premises of the Parliament itself.

Interim Chairman PTI, Barrister… pic.twitter.com/43VD3Oal8U

— PTI (@PTIofficial) September 9, 2024

🚨🚨🚨شیر افضل خان مروت کو پولیس گریبان سے گھسیٹتے ہوئے اور دھکے دیتے ہوئے گاڑی میں بٹھا کر گرفتار کر کے لیے گئی۔🚨🚨🚨 pic.twitter.com/gzq6laGSJY

— Sher Afzal Khan Marwat (@sherafzalmarwat) September 9, 2024

The Islamabad police took them into custody for violating the newly passed public gathering law during the former ruling party’s Sunday power show in the federal capital.