PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sardar Ali Amin Gandapur has served a legal notice on provincial Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, seeking damages of Rs1 billion and an unconditional apology for accusing him of approving the decision about the Operation Azm-i-Istihkam in the apex committee’s meeting last month.

In the notice, the chief minister asked the governor to immediately broadcast a retraction of his “defamatory” remarks about the chief minister and publish an unconditional apology for it in three daily national newspapers in the next seven days.

He also said the governor should clarify the matter on media channels.

Mr Gandapur warned that if the governor failed to act accordingly, appropriate legal action would be initiated against him.

He also seeks apology from governor for accusing him of okaying new military operation

The legal notice was sent to the governor by advocate Asad Jan Durrani on behalf of the chief minister.

It read that the governor had accused the chief minister on television channels of signing the document about the launch of a new military operation against terrorism, Azm-i-Istihkam, in the apex committee’s meeting.

“The allegation is incorrect and against facts. My client never signed [documents about] any policy decision about a [counter-terrorism] operation in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” the lawyer insisted in the notice.

He added that before taking any decision on the matter, the chief minister would certainly place it before the provincial assembly and his cabinet for consideration and approval.

The notices said that the governor’s “baseless allegations” in the media had defamed his client and damaged his reputation in the people’s eyes, so he was entitled to claim damages to the tune of Rs500 million.

“This immature and baseless statement [of the governor] also caused mental torture to Mr Gandapur for which he is entitled to the Rs500 million damages.”

The notice also said that the chief minister was a highly respectable and law-abiding citizen, and a senior member of the country’s largest political party, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf.

“Mr Gandapur, being the chief minister of this province, took his cabinet and senior leadership of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf on board while taking any policy decision, which would have impact across the province and the country,” it declared.

The notice also said that the chief minister’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, had formed the government in the province for the third consecutive time just because of the reason that its government worked in line with the wishes and will of the people of the province.

Published in Dawn, July 21st, 2024