In a significant development, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) held a crucial meeting with Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday. In this meeting, he requested the prime minister to engage politically with his party’s founder, Imran Khan, a move that could potentially reshape the political landscape.
Speaking optimistically to reporters alongside Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal after the meeting at the Prime Minister’s House, Gandapur described his interaction with Shehbaz as “positive.” He hoped the prime minister would consider his request to lift the ban on visiting Imran and other prisoners in Adiala Jail, a step towards fostering political dialogue.
Imran, a former prime minister, has been incarcerated in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail over a host of charges ranging from corruption to terrorism. Earlier this week, the authorities placed a two-week ban on any visit to the PTI founder because of security concerns.
Gandapur requested that the prime minister lift the ban on visiting Imran because he had to discuss the upcoming Senate elections with the PTI’s founder. He added that Shehbaz accepted his request and permitted him to meet with Imran in jail.
Gandapur said that during the meeting, he asked Shehbaz Sharif—the president of the PTI’s main political rival, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)—to “politically engage” with Imran Khan. “Such an engagement [between Shehbaz and Imran] will lead to a political solution,” reported Gandapur.
“This was my first meeting with the prime minister. We had fruitful discussions on the law and order situation as well as other public issues. Notably, the prime minister has assured me that the federal government would extend its full cooperation to K-P on these matters, a reassurance that underscores the commitment to maintaining peace and order.
