PTI Launches Anti-Government Campaign as Gandapur Arrives in Lahore
CM vows protests will peak on Imran Khan’s jail anniversary; slams Fazlur Rehman over ‘fake mandate’
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) officially kicked off its anti-government movement on Saturday, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur reaching Lahore to spearhead the campaign. Addressing a high-level consultative meeting in Raiwind, Gandapur declared that the protest drive will escalate in the coming weeks and reach its peak on August 5, marking two years since PTI founder Imran Khan’s incarceration.
“Historically, political movements that start from Lahore echo across the country,” said Gandapur, stressing the need for unity and strategic planning. “We will take practical steps after consultation to move forward,” he added, calling for party discipline and grassroots mobilisation ahead of August.
The KP chief minister reiterated that Imran Khan remains the central figure in the party’s political resurgence and had directed party leaders to intensify the campaign, with protests planned in multiple phases across provinces and districts. He hinted that the protest route possibly starting from Peshawar and proceeding to Lahore will be finalised and announced by the party leadership in due course.
Response to Fazlur Rehman
Taking a swipe at Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Gandapur rejected the latter’s recent comments about the need for a political change in KP. He claimed that most of JUI-F’s lawmakers held “fake mandates”, secured through electoral manipulation, particularly via Form 47.
“Only one MNA and two MPAs from JUI-F were elected on merit the rest were imposed” he alleged, adding that Maulana Fazl should focus on reforming his own party rather than questioning PTI’s governance in KP.
Gandapur also criticised the opposition for pushing instability in the province, following the Supreme Court’s June 27 verdict that stripped PTI of its reserved seats, leaving the opposition just 20 seats short of forming a simple majority in the KP Assembly.
Message from Imran Khan’s Family
Meanwhile, Aleema Khan, sister of the PTI founder, stated that the protest campaign is being led from within prison, adding that her brother has urged party members to either “carry the movement or step aside.”
“Our family knows the protest plan. The time to share it publicly will come,” Aleema told reporters. She further said that Khan’s entire family would actively participate in the demonstrations.
In a veiled criticism of PTI’s internal leadership, she quoted Imran Khan as saying that he was “free in jail while his people are imprisoned outside.”
Protest and Security Dynamics
Commenting on his potential rally in Lahore, Gandapur said he would thank the Punjab government if it allows him to exercise his constitutional right to protest. He also criticised the suspension of PTI’s Punjab Assembly members, calling the move illegal.
In a warning tone, he added that if such political tactics continue, he may retaliate by removing opposition committee chairpersons in KP.
When asked about his earlier statement regarding carrying arms to the protest, PTI spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram clarified that Gandapur was referring to self-defence. “Every citizen has the right to protect themselves, and the chief minister’s comment should be understood in that context” he said.
Akram confirmed that Gandapur is leading the protest campaign on Imran Khan’s instructions, and that PTI plans to hold widespread demonstrations in the first phase before scaling up in August.
With mounting tensions and PTI’s renewed street mobilisation, the political temperature in the country is expected to rise sharply in the weeks leading up to August 5 a date now symbolically tied to the future of the Imran Khan-led movement.
