November 26 crackdown: How did Omer Ayub escape with Bushra Bibi and Ali Amin Gandapur?
Opposition Leader of the National Assembly Omer Ayub Khan, while appearing on the Geo News programme Capital Talk on Monday, narrated the tale of his escape from Islamabad along with Chief Minister (CM) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Ali Amin Gandapur and former First Lady Bushra Bibi during the operation on Tuesday night (November 26).
Omer Ayub Khan stated that security officials “fired the first tear gas canister around 8:30, lights were turned off, and trees ahead of us were ablaze.”
Security forces on Tuesday night (November 27) launched a grand operation against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) demonstrators. The party claims that 12 people died and multiple supporters were injured. At least five security personnel lost their lives in the lead up to the clash.
Prior to the operation, the federal government had deployed the army in Islamabad under Article 245 of the constitution to maintain law and order, giving them sweeping power to impose a curfew in any locality they [army] deemed necessary to control the situation.
Omer Ayub said that after security forces started firing tear gas shells, he, along with Imran Khan’s spouse, Bushra Bibi and CM KP Ali Amin Gandapur, headed towards Centaurus Mall, getting "stuck there for three hours" because party followers halted their vehicles from moving ahead.
“Ali Amin Gandpur's car came under fire,” Omer Ayub Khan claimed.
When asked about whether he had changed cars while escaping from Islamabad, the Opposition Leader in the National Assembly stated that he was in CM KP Ali Amin Gandapur's car. However, Bushra Bibi had changed her vehicle, he confirmed.
Hours after fleeing from the federal capital, Ali Amin Gandapur held a press conference at Mansehra, saying, “Our sit-in at D-Chowk will continue, and we will not end it until our leader Imran Khan calls it off.”