RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur said on Thursday that the Imran Khan is willing to hold negotiations for the sake of Pakistan, not for power.

He was speaking at a joint general meeting of the Lahore High Court Bar Association and the Lahore Bar Association.

He said Imran wants to build a proud, independent nation, hence the objective of the negotiations should be the national interest and stability of Pakistan. He, however, said Imran Khan didn’t ask him for talks. He advised the PTI’s activists, “Avoid any criticism that harms your party and your leader”.

He said Imran wants the rule of law in the country and acquiring power is not his objective.

Gandapur criticized the state’s reliance on force and said the country can no longer be run with batons. He said, “You cannot suppress our voice.”He asked, “How long will you keep Imran Khan behind the bars?”

The chief minister said the PTI launched a peaceful movement, but its rallies were stopped, leaders and workers jailed, and even Imran Khan’s wife was imprisoned.

“We will ensure the release of our leader and are confident that Imran Khan would soon be among his supporters again.”

He said the PTI’s former chairman wants to make the country sovereign and independent. He claimed that Imran Khan was in jail not because of any wrongdoing, but because “he is a threat to the current system.”

“If the slaves will decide our future, we too will become slaves,” Gandapur said and expressed his frustration over alleged foreign interference and puppet decision-making.

CM Gandapur said repeated experiments had been conducted to impose selected individuals on this nation. As a result, he said, Pakistan plunged into Rs76 trillion debts. He also alleged that 2024 general elections were marred by blatant rigging.

The CM claimed, “We have ended corruption in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa”.

“KP is the richest province of Pakistan today,” Gandapur claimed.

He acknowledged the role of legal fraternity in upholding justice and democracy and urged them to stand together in this crucial time. He also announce a grant of Rs50 million for the LHCBA.