Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has cleverly sidestepped the ultimatum he had issued for the release of Imran Khan. He now wants debate on Kalabagh Dam (KBD).
Interestingly, another politician, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, called for building dams in Pakistan the same day Gandapur voiced support for KBD construction. Kh Asif, however, seeks small dams. Speaking in National Assembly on Monday, he said: “We cannot wait endlessly for the big dams. Hundreds of small dams can be completed within two to three years.”
Talking to journalists on Monday, Gandapur said : “the Kalabagh Dam project should be undertaken in national interest, with political consensus and support from all stakeholders.” He said KBD construction could secure the future of generations.
His party colleague, on the other side, rejected the Ali Amin’s statement as personal, not reflective of the PTI stance. “He [Gandapur] has issued the statement in his personal capacity as PTI does not want any controversy at this stage. We as a party are not supporting it [KBD],” said senior PTI leader Asad Qaiser.
Imran Khan Release Ultimatum:
On July 12, Gandapur had issued the 90-day ultimatum to the government for release of Imran Khan. He said this while addressing the PTI parliamentary party gathering in Lahore at the farmhouse of former Senate deputy chairman Mirza Muhammad Khan Afridi. In 90 days, he had vowed, either the PTI would achieve its objectives of getting its Founder Chairman Imran Khan freed or its leaders would leave politics altogether. The time, he added, for silence was over.
“Either it’s you or us who’ll survive. Either we achieve our goal, or we leave politics.”
Over 45 days have been passed to his ultimatum. And now he has linked the release of Khan to the establishment and rule of law. Over the question of PTI founder release, Gandapur replied that his hands are tied as it is clash between Khan and the establishment. Imran Khan could be freed if the rule of law prevailed in Pakistan, he believed.
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Bajaur Operation Option Again Puts Gandapur at Odds With Imran Khan
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