K-P CM vows to avoid confrontation despite ‘repeated provocation’

PESHAWAR:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf believes in constitutional and lawful politics and will not pursue a path of confrontation, despite what he termed repeated provocation by political opponents and certain officials.

Addressing a large PTI public gathering at the Peshawar’s Hayatabad Sports Complex, Afridi remarked that ‘we do not need to fight crows, we need to fly higher,’ urging party workers to focus on long-term political struggle rather than clashes.

A large number of party workers attended the rally, during which PTI also announced another public meeting in Kohat next Sunday. Former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar and other leaders also addressed the gathering.

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The chief minister said he owed his political stature to Imran Khan and claimed PTI had achieved a “clean sweep” in K-P from 2013 to 2024.

Announcing development plans for Peshawar, he said Rs100 billion would be allocated for the city, including the construction of a 100-bed hospital and several underpasses.

Responding to criticism over governance, Afridi said PTI would not have formed the provincial government for a third time if governance had failed.

He criticised repeated security operations and drone strikes, questioning their effectiveness and urging a review of policy.

Citing an IMF report, he said the provincial government would not allow corruption worth Rs5.3 trillion to go unchecked.

He further stated that K-P was not a “laboratory for experiments” and that policies would be framed through consultation with elders, political parties and parliamentarians.

Afridi said allegations were levelled against him when his name was proposed for chief minister, but PTI would continue its struggle within constitutional limits.

“We respect state institutions and have made immense sacrifices for this country,” he said, adding that more than 80,000 lives had been lost for Pakistan’s security and prosperity. He also cautioned against equating a “fake centre” with a genuine state institution.

Achakzai warns against governor’s rule

Head of the Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Ain Pakistan, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, said the country had entered the final phase of what he described as a battle between right and wrong. He maintained that those violating the Constitution posed a security risk under Pakistan’s constitutional framework.

Achakzai said nations that had abandoned war had progressed and stressed the need to end what he called a “war mindset.”

Calling Afghans Pakistan’s brothers, he said the two peoples were “links in the same chain.” He also criticised the imprisonment of individuals who, he said, were merely demanding constitutional and legal rights.

He demanded the convening of a national conference comprising judges, military generals, religious scholars and politicians to reconcile differences and “save the country.” Achakzai warned that if governor’s rule were imposed in K-P, “every chowk of the province will turn into D-Chowk.”

Asad Qaiser rejects ‘threat politics’

Former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser said the rally had once again proved that Peshawar and K-P remained strongholds of Imran Khan. He warned that attempts to intimidate or pressure Imran Khan or his allies would fail.

Qaiser alleged that the public’s right to vote had effectively been taken away and criticised what he described as the installation of a government with only 17 seats.

He claimed powerful circles wanted to decide who would rule rather than allowing the electorate’s mandate to prevail.

He further said the ruling leadership had suffered defeat in elections yet was making laws for the country, adding that the Pakistani nation would not accept constitutional violations.

Pakistan facing critical times, says Allama Nasir Abbas

Addressing the rally, Allama Nasir Abbas said Pakistan has been passing through a period more sensitive than 1971. He alleged electoral rigging and said “thieves and robbers” were handed power by stealing the mandate.

He said Imran Khan was imprisoned in an attempt to erase him from public memory but asserted that the people had not forgotten him.

Commenting on recent press conferences, Abbas said they reflected internal disarray among opponents and stressed the need for Pakistan to be a free, sovereign state.

PTI leader Junaid Akbar said attempts to intimidate the public had failed, pointing to the turnout at the rally as evidence. He alleged that PTI’s mandate and electoral symbol had been taken away but said party workers still raised slogans of “Pakistan Zindabad,” reiterating support for state institutions and the armed forces.