Mashal Yousafzai denotified as KP CM's special assistant

PESHAWAR: Mashal Azam Yousafzai, a PTI leader and special assistant to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, has been dismissed from her post following a controversial TV interview. 

The Chief Minister's Secretariat issued an official notification regarding her dismissal.

Following the protest debacle on November 27, the former ruling party faced intense internal turmoil that saw leaders like Salman Akram Raja and Sahibzada Hamid Raza leave their party positions.

The protest, aimed at securing party founder Imran Khan's release who has been behind bars for more than a year, is currently under scrutiny over its decision to reach D-Chowk in Islamabad instead of proceeding to Sangjani.

Bushra and Gandapur are facing strong criticism for their decision to move the protest towards D-Chowk.

Confirming the development to Geo News, Yousafzai said that she was removed from her role owing to remarks she made during an interview with Geo News.

It should be mentioned here that Yousafzai also serves as the spokesperson for PTI founder Imran Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi.

Speaking on the Geo News programme Naya Pakistan on Friday, Mashal reiterated that Bushra had been instructed by the PTI founder to proceed to D-Chowk during the Islamabad protest which the PTI described as "do-or-die" for them.

"When told to move (to the D-Chowk) by the PTI founder, how could she refuse?" she argued.

Bushra did not want to return from D-Chowk, her spokesperson said, claiming, "But, Bushra's vehicle came under severe attack, with reports of firing and chemical splashes which blurred its windshield.

Consequently, the PTI founder's wife had to switch her vehicle, Yousafzai said, adding: "I was separated from her amidst the chaos during this time."

Her statement contradicted Islamabad's police chief's statement regarding the use of live ammunition by law enforcers during the operation.

Bushra's spokesperson said that she was not certain what exactly happened after Bushra changed her vehicle as she got separated from the former first lady.

Expressing surprise at how PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and KP CM’s aide Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif managed to meet Imran at Adiala Jail, she claimed that Bushra received an "indirect message" regarding PTI founder's purported message to stage a sit-in at Sangjani.

Yousafzai claimed that Bushra wanted to confirm about Imran's directives regarding Sangjani directly from him.