PESHAWAR/TOBA TEK SINGH: The Khyber Pahtunkhwa government has sought action against Punjab officials for failing to provide security to KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur, an official letter read.

The KP government, in the letter to the principal secretary to Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz, reques­ted for an inquiry over the negligence during Mr Gan­­­dapur’s visit to Fai­­salabad.

The document, a copy of which is available with Dawn, read that Mr Gandapur was scheduled to visit district Faisalabad and the chief minister’s visit was properly intimated by Mr Gandapur’s security staff to the police officials concerned, followed by an interaction over the phone with the relevant SSP operations. However, it added, no security arrangements were made during the CM’s visit.

“You would appreciate that these protocols are for the safety of all VVIPs and VIPs across Pakistan, so provided for in the blue book as well the norms and are critical to avoid any untoward incidents,” the letter read.

“Such inaction of not providing security unilaterally may lead to a rethink,” it read.

The letter requested principal secretary to the Punjab CM to bring the issue into her notice and initiate an inquiry into the circumstances, which caused the deviation from the set protocols.

Earlier on Wednesday, an anti-terrorism court of Faisalabad granted bail to Mr Gandapur in four May 9 cases until Sept 12. The cases were registered against him over his alleged role in the riots in Faisalabad following the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan in 2023.

PTI lawyer Khalid Sha­fiq told the media Mr Gan­dapur had come to join the investigations, but all five JIT members were absent.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2024