Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Kundi alleges PTI working on 'anti-state' agenda, condemns protests

Oct 05, 2024

Islamabad [Pakistan], October 6 : Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Governor Faisal Karim Kundi alleged that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party is working on an "anti-state" agenda and condemned the protests led by the party in the province, ARY News reported on Saturday.
According to ARY News, Governor Kundi said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is working on an 'anti-state' agenda and claimed that a PTI leader invited a foreign minister of a neighbouring country to destabilise Pakistan. The governor also criticised the party leader's statement inviting foreign ministers.
He also condemned PTI's protests, saying that the party wants to create chaos and anarchy in the country. Kundi said that PTI's planned D-Chowk rally will not be allowed to harm national interests, emphasising the need to maintain law and order, ARY News reported.
Karim Kundi said that his meeting with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif mainly focused on the 'deteriorating' law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Responding to the potential imposition of governor rule in the province, Governor Kundi claimed that the provincial government's control has completely diminished in the south region of the province, ARY News reported.
This comes following speculations of a potential governor rule in KP amid protests by the PTI.
He criticised the provincial government's 'inaction' against targeted killings and kidnappings. "Chief Minister Sindh is asked about street crime in Karachi but in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, targeted killings and kidnappings are rampant," ARY News quoted him as saying.
Clashes between police and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) activists continued at Islamabad's D-Chowk on Saturday. Heavy rainfall diminished the impact of police tear gas, allowing a surge of protesters to advance towards D-Chowk, according to a report by the Express Tribune. In response, police detained several activists from Jinnah Avenue.
Confrontations between protesters and police began early in the morning, marked by stone-throwing and retaliation from protesters in response to police actions. Organised in convoys, PTI protesters made their way to the protest site, leading to intermittent clashes with law enforcement.