Maryam-Gandapur clash in Apex Committee; key figure advises on PTI protests

• Important person advises Gandapur to avoid bringing KP protesters. 
• Maryam says such protests result in damage to life and property.
• Gandapur points out hardships faced by PTI in Punjab in response. 
  

ISLAMABAD: An important member of the Central Apex Committee, which met in the federal capital on Tuesday, advised Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur to avoid bringing protest rallies from the KP to Punjab because such political moves could dent the inter-provincial harmony.

An informed source said that Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz initially raised the issue how the KP chief minister repeatedly leads protest rallies from Peshawar to Islamabad like an assault. She pointed out that such protests also result in damage to life and property.

In response to Maryam’s criticism, Gandapur reportedly talked about the hardships faced by the PTI, particularly in Punjab. Gandapur also talked about Imran Khan and said that the PTI founder chairman has been behind bars for over a year without any crime. “Our leader is in jail, our workers are being persecuted,” he complained.

The source, who was also one of the participants in the Apex Committee meeting, said that Maryam was a bit harsh but Gandapur, contrary to his perception in public, responded calmly. There was, however, no further exchange of arguments between the two chief ministers.

The source conjectured that Gandapur was calm and showed no sign of aggression possibly because he was sitting next to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. 

The source added that while observing the closeness of Naqvi and Gandapur, he got the feeling that something behind the scenes was going on. When asked if Gandapur or any other member of the committee talked about dialogue between the PTI and the government or establishment, the source said no such discussion took place in the meeting.

The source, however, said that after what the two chief ministers said, an important member of the Apex Committee advised Gandapur that bringing protest rallies from the KP to Punjab could dent inter-provincial harmony. It should be avoided, the CM was told and advised that the PTI should mobilise its voters and supporters from Punjab for protest in the province.

The Apex Committee was chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Those who attended the meeting included the army chief, DG ISI, DG MI, DG IB, all provincial chief ministers, key federal ministers and others. 

Gandapur had told The News on Sunday last that he would attend the Apex Committee meeting and discuss the hardships faced by Imran and the PTI.

Originally published in The News