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       SWABI: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and National Assembly’s former speaker Asad Qaiser are expected to meet for the first time here on Wednesday (today) since differences erupted among Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leaders earlier this month, sources said.

       The chief minister has termed Asad Qaiser, former provincial minister Atif Khan, and MNA Shahram Khan Tarakai “conspirators”, claiming the party founder Imran Khan had instructed him before the 2024 elections that tickets should not be awarded to them because they were “conspirators”.

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       Mr Qaiser strongly reacted to the chief minister’s statement, and demanded the party leadership immediately conduct an inquiry against the claim.

       Later, the party’s leadership directed the heavyweights to not issue statements against each other.

       Sources say varsity convocation can be ‘ice-breaker’ between PTI leaders

       The chief minister is the chief guest in the combined convocation of Women University Swabi and University of Swabi, where Mr Qaiser is also expected to be present.

       In a message sent to Dawn on WhatsApp, Mr Qaiser said he would attend the convocation while considering himself host and the chief minister as his guest.

       “If Qaiser opts to stay away from convocation it would be against the Pakhun’s culture of hospitality. We are sure he will be there to welcome the chief minister,” a party leader told Dawn on condition of anonymity.

       If both the leaders attend the convocation, it would be tantamount to an ice-breaker, he added.

       When contacted, a spokesperson of the Tarakai House here told Dawn that Shahram Khan would not participate in the convocation due to his family commitments.

       However, he said Shahram had spoken with the chief minister on phone.

       Meanwhile, Asad Qaiser has said PTI workers are fully prepared to make any sacrifice for the release of party’s founder Imran Khan from jail.

       He was speaking to party workers, who were recently released after spending months in jail in connection with the Nov 26, 2024 protest at D-Chowk, Islamabad.

       “We are paying rich tribute to the party workers for their unwavering commitment and resilience. They are our force and true asset,” he said.

       “Despite enduring four months of ‘illegal imprisonment’, the PTI workers remain in high spirits, demonstrating their steadfast dedication to the cause,” he said, accusing the state of indulging in flagrant violation of the right to hold peaceful protests.

       Castigating the federal government, he said innocent workers were sent to jails because they were merely standing up for the rule of law and demanding release of PTI founding chairman Imran Khan.

       Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2025