'Will respond with bullets if fired upon', Gandapur warns of armed march on Islamabad

• Party workers to defend themselves against crackdown: Gandapur
• "If you [govt] hit us with batons, we will strike back," warns KP CM.
• Firebrand politician urges PTI supporters across KP to stay prepared.

PESHAWAR: In a show of his aggressive political style, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has once again warned of an armed march towards Islamabad, vowing that any attack on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters would be met with force, The News reported on Sunday.

"If a bullet is fired at us, we will respond with bullets and not just fire back but strike with full force," Gandapur said while addressing a rally held in the Mathra area on the outskirts of Peshawar to demand the release of incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan.

The former ruling party, along with the ex-prime minister Khan, have been facing an uphill battle on both legal and political fronts with the party founder and senior leaders such as Shah Mahmood Qureshi and others being behind bars in various cases.

The PTI has marched on to the federal capital on multiple occasions leading to confrontations with law enforcement agencies (LEAs) and mass arrests of workers and leaders which were followed by its highly anticipated negotiations with the government, which as hoped by many, failed to bear much fruit after the PTI boycotted it citing government's failure to form a judicial commission to probe the May 9, 2023 riots and November 2024 Islamabad protest.

Last month, sources said that Khan had greed to initiate dialogue with the government — marking a major political shift in the party's stance which has time again stressed on engaging with the establishment as opposed to the government.

However, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar soon afterwards distanced the party from any behind-the-scenes arrangements, stating categorically that "no deal has been made" with any quarters regarding the party’s incarcerated founder.

Furthermore, last week Gohar announced that Khan had been made the party’s patron-in-chief and he will spearhead the proposed countrywide protest movement.

Gohar's remarks of a countrywide movement were echoed by KP CM Gandapur in his address yesterday as well who urged PTI supporters across KP to stay prepared, reiterating his call for resistance.

"If they shoot at us, they will have to face bullets in return," he said, further intensifying the party's confrontational rhetoric. "We won’t just shoot back, we will hit back hard".

Other PTI leaders also spoke at the rally, repeating their demand for the release of their party’s founder and warning of escalating protests if their demands were not met.

The chief minister’s remarks have sparked fresh concerns about rising political tensions and the possibility of violent clashes in the federal capital.

Gandapur declared a hardline stance against future crackdowns and called on party workers to mobilise on June 22.

The CM warned that the PTI was no longer committed to passive resistance, saying: "We are no longer peaceful. If you hit us with batons, we will strike back. If you fire bullets, we will respond in kind".

Reaffirming loyalty to the party’s founding leader, Gandapur said: "Whenever the founder of PTI gives a call, the people of KP are always on the front line".

He vowed that party workers would defend themselves against any violent crackdown.

"We will go armed. If bullets are fired at us, we will return fire," he declared.

Gandapur also announced a nationwide mobilisation plan, urging PTI supporters to come out in their respective tehsils on June 22.

"On the 22nd of this month, everyone must take to the streets in their tehsil," he remarked.