Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur has formally called for the quick release of his province’s nationals who were detained after the November 24 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) demonstration in Islamabad.

Gandapur wrote to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to denounce the imprisonment of the province’s citizens, calling their incarceration unlawful and a violation of their fundamental human rights.

Gandapur’s letter follows many altercations that broke out between PTI demonstrators and police during the Islamabad demonstration.

The chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa claimed that although workers from his province participated peacefully in the demonstration led by PTI leadership, they were singled out for arrest.

The discriminatory treatment of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa civilians, who were wrongfully targeted following the PTI protest march from D-Chowk, was brought to light by Gandapur in the letter.

He stated, “This is a blatant violation of the fundamental rights of our citizens” and called for their acquittal.

PTI chairman Imran Khan led the protest march on November 24. Important PTI leaders Bushra Bibi and Ali Amin Gandapur participated in the demonstration that followed in Islamabad.

After fights with police on November 26, the protest descended into chaos, leading to the flight of protest leaders, including Bushra Bibi and Ali Amin Gandapur, who that evening departed Haripur for Mansehra. The vast majority of demonstrators, meanwhile, scattered and went home.

According to later sources, there were a significant number of people killed during the protest. Ali Amin Gandapur, Sardar Latif Khosa, and PTI General Secretary Salman Akram Raja all reported several deaths as a result of purported police firing.

Federal authorities, however, such as Minister of the Interior Mohsin Naqvi and Minister of Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, denied these allegations and insisted on proof of the occurrences.

Approximately 1,400 people were arrested by Islamabad and Rawalpindi police following the demonstration on charges of participating in violent protests, causing property damage, and obstructing highways.

The cases named a number of PTI leaders, including Aleema Khan, Ali Amin Gandapur, and Imran Khan, and included anti-terrorism accusations.