KP CM Gandapur confident Imran Khan will also be released soon

• We are neither against institution nor against any individual: KP CM.
• Gandapur says they don't believe in deal it and won't enter into one.
• Sources say chief minister played role in Bushra Bibi's release.

ISLAMABAD: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Ameen Gandapur is confident that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan will also be out of jail soon.

Talking to The News on Tuesday, Chief Minister KP neither confirmed nor denied his role in the release of Bushra Bibi. When asked about his reported role, he avoided giving a straight answer and said Bushra Bibi had been released on the court's order. "She was jailed in fake cases," he said, adding Bushra is out of prison because the court granted her bail. He insisted soon Khan will also be released from jail.

When asked if there are any assurances involved in the release of Bushra Bibi, Gandapur said: "We don't believe in deals and won't enter into one". When asked why he is sure Khan will also be released from prison soon, he said: "Because cases against [Imran] Khan are also fake".

Answering a question of whether PTI will continue with its policy of criticising the institution of army and army chief, he said: "We are neither against the institution (army) nor against any individual (army chief). We are against their policies and want them to be corrected."

He said PTI's struggle for its rights was not only peaceful but also within the parameters of law and the Constitution. The PTI wants a probe into the February 8 elections and May 9 incidents, he added.

The News on Tuesday reported quoting PTI sources as saying Gandapur told his party leaders he had played a role in Bushra Bibi's recent release from jail. PTI sources had said Gandapur knew Bushra, wife of the PTI founder, would not be arrested in any other case.

Gandapur, these sources said, was told Bushra would not be arrested in any other case to keep her behind bars. It was, however, not known whether there had been any kind of assurance given by the KP chief minister to those who had contacted him and told him about Bushra Bibi’s release.

When asked, Gandapur's spokesman Barrister Saif had told The News on Monday the CM did talk about his role in the release of Bushra. Saif, however, said he neither knew nor asked what role the chief minister had played in getting Bushra released from prison.

Our Peshawar Bureau adds: KP CM Gandapur on Tuesday accused the federal and Punjab governments of mistreating PTI founding chairman Khan in jail.

In a recent video message, Gandapur claimed that the PTI leader was being denied basic facilities, including electricity and meals, and that his rights were being violated. Gandapur issued a stern warning to the federal and Punjab governments. "If there is any further complaint about the PTI founder’s treatment, we will shut down the entire country."

He said, "We are counting the days for this government. Soon, we will close down Pakistan to free the nation from this fake government." The chief minister claimed the federal government had "stolen" the PTI's mandate and vowed to reclaim it.

Gandapur said the federal government’s actions were pushing the PTI leaders to the wall and forcing them to become aggressive. However, he said there would be no tolerance for anyone who had betrayed the party founder. 

Originally published in The News