Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, who fled the PTI’s Islamabad protest site, resurfaced in Mansehra on Wednesday, asserting that the party’s sit-in is “still ongoing.” This comes as police confirmed the arrest of nearly 1,000 protesters amid ongoing tensions.

Government officials estimated that the protests inflicted a daily economic loss of Rs190 billion. The demonstrations, marked by violent clashes, saw PTI supporters confronting security forces in Islamabad’s Red Zone.

On Tuesday night, as protesters approached the heavily fortified D-Chowk, intense teargas shelling by law enforcement forced many to retreat. By early Wednesday, PTI announced it was suspending its sit-in “for the time being,” signaling a temporary pause in its campaign