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       PESHAWAR: Pakistan Peoples Party provincial president Mohammad Ali Shah Bacha on Friday filed a petition with the district judge here, seeking registration of FIR against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur for allegedly ordering teargas shelling on a protest of his party two months ago.

       Mr Bacha filed the petition under Section 22-A of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which empowers the court to act as ‘Justice of Peace’ and order registration of a case for a criminal offence.

       The plea was filed through a panel of lawyers comprising Gohar Rehman Khattak, Arif Firdous and Imran Khan.

       The petitioner said that PPP was a patriotic and democratic party, which had always worked in the people’s interest.

       Alleges teargas shells fired at its rally on CM’s orders

       He said that the party had never made any compromise on national interest and that was evident from the martyrdom of several of its leaders.

       The petitioner accused the ruling party of committing massive corruption in the province and said that the PPP had decided to launch a protest movement against corruption on May 26.

       He said that the party later staged a protest rally at Peshawar’s Jinnah Park in a peaceful manner, where its leaders delivered speeches.

       The petitioner said that when PPP general secretary Humayun Khan was addressing the rally, severe tear gas shelling started, leading to the hospitalisation of several participants.

       He claimed that expired tear gas shells were fired at peaceful protesters, leaving a devastating effect on their health.

       Mr Bacha said that the next day, the police denied shelling the protesters.

       “It’s evident from social media videos that those firing teargas shells were in plain clothes and not uniforms,” he said.

       The petitioner said that it later transpired that unidentified people targeted the protesters on the orders of Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur in a bid to incite them to violence.

       He said that the PPP submitted a complaint with Peshawar’s capital city police officer and the station house officer of the East Cantonment police station for registration of an FIR against Gandapur but no action was taken against the chief minister, prompting it to move the court for relief.

       Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2025