K-P Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and other party leaders raise hands as they arrive for a PTI rally in Kohat. Photo: Express
KOHAT:
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Sunday struck a combative note, urging Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters to stay on their toes for a possible protest call and disclosing that the party was preparing to press ahead with another push for “Haqiqi Azadi” from the country’s current rulers.
Addressing a PTI rally in Kohat, the chief minister termed the moment a point of no return, recalling a message from jailed party founder Imran Khan and warning that any future movement would come at a steep price.
“So if we go this time around, we will either return in shrouds or after getting freedom,” he told the gathering.
Afridi said that Imran Khan had entrusted key decisions, including whether to hold talks with the government or launch protests, to Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Chairman Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas.
The two leaders are part of the opposition alliance Tehreek-e-Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP), alongside the PTI, and have also been nominated by the alliance as opposition leaders in the National Assembly and the Senate.
“For my part,” Afridi said, “I met them and assured them of any kind of support”.
“So whenever a call comes from them, you have to be ready. And we will together seize Haqiqi Azadi from them (country’s current rulers).”
The chief minister alleged that “all institutions and the government want to eliminate the PTI”, claiming that even the judiciary had failed to address the party’s grievances.
Without naming specific actors, he said, “Those supposed to protect us turn into out killers, and those raised to protect our mandate, stole it. Tell me then, what solution do we have?”
Turning to political rivals, Afridi said Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had recently offered advice to him but should instead focus on her own province.
“I will listen to them now?” he asked, adding that “our leader is Imran, and we will listen to only him. There will be only Imran’s policy and rule here”.
He further claimed that, according to a recent survey, police in Punjab had emerged as the most corrupt department in the country.
Afridi urged citizens to report corruption, assuring them that his government in K-P would act on complaints. He also directed divisional and district administrations to keep their offices accessible and responsive to public concerns.
Provincial Minister for Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Human Rights Aftab Alam Afridi said that Imran Khan’s family and the chief minister himself had been barred from meeting the jailed PTI founder.
He condemned Imran being labelled a “security threat”.
“Yes, Khan was a threat, but only to those who had owned business empires in this country.”
Referring to the Kohat gathering, he termed it a series of “warm-up matches”.
“And this time, when we leave, we will not come back empty handed,” he said, hinting at the prospect of street agitation.
Addressing the rally, PTI’s provincial president and MNA Junaid Akbar said party workers “could never be threatened with police cases or press conferences”.
He said that the PTI and its supporters were ready to protect the K-P government.
“If someone tries to impose governor’s rule in KP, you must reach and lay siege to the governor’s house. We protected our vote, and we will protect our government, too,” he said.
Akbar also said the party had not expected that “bullets, purchased from funds meant for development”, would be fired on its protesters on November 26, 2024.
“But I assure you, this time, we will come to face bullets,” he added.
He said that any decision on talks or protests would ultimately be taken by Achakzai.
Special Assistant to the Chief Minister Shafi Jan warned that if CM Afridi were removed, the authorities would be unable to contain public reaction. Meanwhile, MNA Shehryar Afridi said the PTI would take Imran Khan’s case “to every corner of the country”.
“No power on earth could challenge Pakistan if the country were united,” he said, adding, “Imran Khan is a matter of pride for us”.
