Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has returned to Peshawar from Islamabad after concerns were raised about his possible detainment amid a series of raids against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders, party members said on Tuesday.
Earlier, PTI members and Gandapur’s family expressed concerns after losing contact with him for several hours during the raids. PTI’s media cell reported that at least a dozen party leaders were arrested overnight.
Following PTI’s Sangjani rally on Sunday, law enforcement agencies began targeting the party’s leadership, arresting several key figures. Initially, Gandapur was reported to be holed up in Islamabad’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) House.
Barrister Mohammad Saif, a spokesperson for the KP government, confirmed Gandapur’s departure to Islamabad for a meeting on Monday. However, contact with him was lost, raising fears of his arrest. PTI lawyer Naeem Haider Panjutha later posted on X that Gandapur had returned to KP House in Islamabad, assuring supporters of his safety.
The chief minister reportedly reached Peshawar at around 5 am, according to a Dawn.com correspondent in Peshawar.
Meanwhile, PTI leaders Gohar Ali Khan, Sher Afzal Marwat, Zubair Khan, and Shoaib Shaheen were among those detained during the raids. Some PTI members, including Zain Qureshi and Zartaj Gul, sought refuge in Parliament House to avoid arrest.
PTI’s opposition leader Omar Ayub condemned the arrests in a letter to National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, calling the detentions “despicable” and accusing the authorities of framing false charges.
Ayub warned of repercussions for the current regime, stating that political dynamics were shifting rapidly.
