In the wake of a heavy-handed government crackdown in Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi, and National Assembly Opposition Leader Omar Ayub went incommunicado for several hours, raising concerns over their safety and whereabouts.
Sources close to the political leaders confirmed that Gandapur, Bushra Bibi, and Ayub had been trying to evade the increasingly aggressive actions of federal authorities targeting PTI leaders and activists in the aftermath of Imran Khan’s arrest. Senior PTI leader Taimur Saleem Khan later confirmed that the three were accompanied by KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, who is also known to be a staunch ally of Imran Khan. The group had fled the federal capital, Islamabad, in the face of the government’s crackdown on PTI leadership.
According to multiple sources, after leaving Islamabad, the group sought temporary shelter at the Circuit House in Mansehra, a town located in the Hazara region of KP. This move came as part of their efforts to evade arrest or further harassment by law enforcement authorities. The decision to take refuge in Mansehra appears to have been a strategic one, as the town is not only relatively more remote but also a stronghold for PTI within the province, offering some protection against the federal government’s actions.
The sources further revealed that Bushra Bibi and Gandapur, along with Omar Ayub and Swati, spent the night at the Circuit House in Mansehra, where they remained in seclusion, cut off from communication with the outside world. The period of incommunicado triggered concerns among PTI supporters and political analysts, many of whom speculated that the group could be in danger of arrest or facing increased pressure from the government.
This development has sparked further tension within Pakistan’s already volatile political landscape, with PTI leaders and their supporters alleging that the government’s actions are an attempt to stifle the opposition party and undermine its leadership. The situation is particularly sensitive due to Imran Khan’s ongoing legal battles and the broader political crisis engulfing the country, following the former prime minister’s arrest and the subsequent unrest.
While PTI has condemned the government’s crackdown, describing it as a politically motivated attempt to silence dissent, the party’s leadership remains divided over how to respond to the growing pressure. As for Bushra Bibi and the other key PTI leaders in hiding, it remains unclear when they will make their next move, though sources suggest that their location in Mansehra may provide some temporary relief from the crackdown.
