PM urged to stop arbitrary arrests

K-P CM's letter urges inclusive policies, equal rights for all citizens

PESHAWAR:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif not to resort to measures that risked creating a sense of alienation among communities living in Pakistan and undermine national unity.

Gandapur wrote a three-page letter to the prime minister in which he expressed concerns over the arrests made in the federal capital, which he claimed targeted Pashtuns. Gandapur said that Pakistan was a federation built on the principle of equal rights for all citizens.

He stressed that it was of utmost importance that no group was made to feel inferior or alienated on the basis of any arbitrary policies, warning that a perceived superiority of one community over the other could sow conflicts and divisions in society and have long-term consequences.

The chief minister mentioned in the letter that policies that resembled racism had been condemned universally. He emphasised that societies around the world had moved beyond such divisive policies and embraced inclusion, progress and civilisation.

The chief minister stressed the need for resolving political issues through peaceful and constructive dialogue. He said that political differences must not be allowed to lead to the marginalisation of a particular group of people.

He urged the prime minister to review the ongoing situation in Islamabad and immediately drop the 'bogus cases' lodged against Pashtuns in the aftermath of the recent protests organised by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and ensure their release.

Meanwhile, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) granted bail to PTI leaders, including Asad Qaiser, Shahram Tarakai, Shehryar Afridi, Zartaj Gul, Aftab Alam, Khadija Shah, Nadia Khattak, Shibli Faraz, Rauf Hassan, Dawar Kundi, Iman Tahir, Faisal Tarakai and Raja Basharat, till December 24.