• “I have asked  prime minister to politically engage with Imran Khan.”
•  PM Shehbaz assured Gandpur of clearing KP’s dues: Iqbal.
• KP CM assured that he would be allowed to meet Imran in prison.

In a major political development, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and hailed his first engagement with the chief executive belonging to rival Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) as “positive”.

He stated this while addressing a press conference flanked by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal and other PML-N leaders following a meeting with the premier.

CM Gandapur, who belongs to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), said he stressed the need to hold political dialogue with party incarcerated founder Imran Khan who has been behind bars since August last year in different cases ranging from corruption to terrorism.

“I have asked the prime minister to politically engage with Imran Khan. Political engagement will lead to a political solution,” he added.

Gandapur said PM Shehbaz had also assured him that he would be allowed to meet the party founder in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail where the authorities have beefed up security measures and barred ex-premier Imran from holding meetings owing to “threat alert”.

The KP CM said he told the premier that he had to hold a meeting with the party founder to discuss upcoming Senate polls.

Gandapur said he held a discussion with the premier to resolve issues of the masses. “The prime minister has assured that all dues of province will be cleared,” he said describing his meeting as “good and positive”. 

The meeting between the two top officials belonging to rival political parties is seen as an important development in bringing down the political temperature in the country as the major political parties have been at loggerheads, particularly after the removal of PTI-led government via opposition’s no-trust motion in April 2022.

The PTI has accused the PML-N and other allied parties part of the coalition government of coming into power via backdoor after manipulating the results of the February 8 elections.

After becoming the KP CM, Gandapur had said that he would maintain a good working relationship with the Centre but would not compromise on the party’s stance that the incumbent rulers “stole” the public’s mandate.   

Today’s meeting came a day after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued a notice to Gandapur on a petition seeking his disqualification for allegedly misleading about a patch of land.

Responding to a question related to PM Shehbaz’s recent visit to KP, Gandapur said he could not receive the premier as he was not present in Peshawar.

“It’s our tradition that we take special care of guests,” the CM added.

Speaking on the occasion, Planning Minister Iqbal welcomed the KP’s CM meeting with the premier and stated that the federal government will take all possible steps for the development and maintenance of law and order in the province.

PM Shehbaz has directed to ensure electricity supply during Sheri and Iftar times in the province, Iqbal said adding that the conclusion of the meeting is that: “Politics aside, the state belongs to all.”

The planning minister said PM Shehbaz has also assured the KP CM that there will be no injustice against anyone.