Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Goes Missing, Pakistan Govt says ‘Not In our Custody’

Peshawar: The mystery surrounding the sudden disappearance of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur deepened on Sunday when Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi stated that he was not in the custody of any federal agency. 

Gandapur went missing on Saturday evening from the KP House, his official residence in the national capital, where he had gone to rest after leading a protest caravan from his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, to Islamabad.

Pakistan Govt Says Not Aware About KP CM’s Whereabouts

Naqvi said that the government was unaware of the whereabouts of the chief minister, who, in his words, escaped from the KP House before police reached there.

"I can confirm that he is not in the custody of any institution of the government," he told the media after offering a funeral prayer for a police official who died due to injuries sustained in clashes on Saturday.

The minister further said that the police were searching for the chief minister, who is reportedly hiding in an undisclosed location.

"Police have also raided a few places but could not find him,” he said, adding that he had got pictures of the chief minister escaping from the KP House before the arrival of police and other law enforcement agencies.

The categorical claim that Gandapur was not in official custody has further deepened the mystery of his sudden disappearance.

Family Unable To Locate

According to KP government spokesman Muhammad Ali Saif, both the provincial government and the chief minister's family have been unable to reach him. On Sunday, the KP government approached the Peshawar High Court regarding Gandapur's disappearance, as reported by Geo News. KP Advocate General Shah Faisal stated that a writ petition had been prepared, and they would request the court to address it today. Meanwhile, Gandapur's brother, Faisal Amin Gandapur, told Geo News that he had not been able to contact his brother since last night. Earlier, the chief minister's adviser on information, Barrister Saif, confirmed that Gandapur had been "incommunicado" since Saturday night and that his family's efforts to locate him had been unsuccessful.

He held the centre responsible for his going missing.

(With inputs from PTI)