Imran Khan’s Release Unlikely, PTI Will Launch Protest Movement: KP CM Ali Amin Gandapur
RAWALPINDI – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has stated that signs of PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s release are not visible and vowed to launch a protest movement using “constitutional rights and people power” to challenge the current system. He claimed that when the judiciary is free to deliver independent verdicts, the cases against Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi will collapse.
Gandapur made these remarks after holding a nearly two-hour-long meeting with Imran Khan at Adiala Jail in the prison’s conference room. The meeting focused on the upcoming provincial budget, post-Eid political mobilization, and other party affairs.
Speaking to the media outside Adiala Jail, the chief minister said the provincial government wishes to present its economic team to Imran Khan for consultation ahead of the KP budget. If permission for such a meeting is denied, PTI will devise an alternative course of action.
Gandapur revealed that Imran Khan instructed the KP government not to distribute development funds directly to lawmakers but to release them only after project approvals to ensure proper utilization of resources for human development.
### “Judiciary Not Free, We Are Being Pushed to the Streets”
Strongly criticizing the current political and legal system, Gandapur said a major political leader is wrongfully imprisoned while judicial delays are being used as a tool to suppress him. “It is clear to us that the judiciary isn’t making decisions independently. Prosecution is deliberately delaying proceedings, and we are being forced to protest,” he said.
He warned that PTI would bring its movement to the streets and seek public support with patience and resolve. “There is no precedent in the world for this level of state violence, but we have chosen the path of tolerance. Still, if we must resist oppression, we will not back down,” he declared.
### “We Will Not Accept Subjugation”
The chief minister accused the country’s ruling forces of dragging Pakistan towards destruction, mocking the constitution and attempting to enslave the people. “We were not born slaves, and we will never accept slavery. If they try to suppress us with force, we will respond in the same language,” Gandapur said.
On the detention of Bushra Bibi, he said it was shameful to keep a woman in custody for 14 months, noting that such treatment of women, even in political disputes, has no precedent in Pakistan’s history.
### “Imran Khan Is a Sacrifice for the Nation”
Gandapur claimed that Imran Khan is making a historic sacrifice for the people and such moments rarely come in a nation’s history. “If we must use force to dismantle this system, we will not hesitate,” he said.
On federal-provincial relations, Gandapur noted some progress, particularly in the struggle for KP’s rights. He expressed hope that an NFC Award meeting would be convened in August and confirmed ongoing contact with the establishment, indicating openness to dialogue in Pakistan’s interest.
He added that more committees may be formed by Imran Khan to steer the movement and stressed, “As chief minister, I will fully exercise my constitutional powers. If someone fires a bullet, they will receive a response.”
