PESHAWAR: Former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has made several claims regarding Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) affairs and meetings with the party’s founder, Imran Khan.
During an interview with Ary News channel, Gandapur said he had told Imran Khan that, while sitting in the chief minister’s office, he did not expect to see his release. He contrasted the situation with his own tenure, saying meetings with Khan had taken place and various facilities had continued to be provided at that time.
Gandapur also claimed that he personally hosted the Waziristan March, which he described as one of PTI’s major marches, but stressed that he was not competing with anyone within the party.
He said there were others who had made greater sacrifices for the party, but Imran Khan had repeatedly mentioned his name and said Gandapur had remained steadfast on every occasion.
The former chief minister further claimed that when PTI’s parliamentary board initially refused to award a ticket to Sohail Afridi, he struggled to secure the nomination for him. According to Gandapur, Afridi serves as the party’s provincial youth president, and he felt that failing to support him would send a negative message to the party’s youth.
Regarding the corruption in KP, Gandapur said that Imran Khan had raised concerns over alleged corruption in the Communications and Works (C&W) Department.
Gandapur claimed that Imran Khan was unaware that the C&W Department was under the control of Sohail Afridi. He said he deliberately did not tell Imran Khan that Afridi was heading the department.
Gandapur alleged that some individuals who later issued statements against him had met Imran Khan more frequently than he did. He also said he had informed Asad Qaiser and Shehryar Afridi in advance about matters concerning their brothers.
He claimed that a person named Aslam was not allowed even a single meeting with Imran Khan, while Gandapur himself had repeatedly sent messages to the PTI founder regarding what he described as two false narratives being circulated against him.
Regarding Sohail Afridi, Gandapur said he considered him like a younger brother. However, he alleged that a different impression about Afridi was created before Imran Khan, resulting in the PTI founder changing his view of him.
Gandapur’s remarks come amid ongoing differences and discussions within the PTI regarding party affairs and leadership in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
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