LAHORE (MNN); Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Saturday expressed doubts over the government’s seriousness in holding talks with Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, saying he was actively working to mobilise the party’s street movement by engaging various stakeholders.
On the second day of his three-day visit to Lahore, the KP chief minister, accompanied by PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja and other leaders, spoke to the media while visiting the homes of jailed party leaders Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudhry and Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed.
Responding to questions about Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s offer of dialogue, Afridi said the incumbent rulers showed no willingness for talks and were instead displaying an authoritarian mindset. He said Imran Khan had entrusted the decision of “dialogue or protest” to the opposition alliance Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayin-i-Pakistan (TTAP).
Afridi said that while TTAP was making efforts for dialogue, he had been instructed to prepare for a street movement and would take preparations to their peak. He added that Imran Khan symbolised national unity and believed in mutual respect.
The KP chief minister said he was coordinating with party leaders, organisations and internal wings to run the movement. He noted that despite TTAP welcoming the prime minister’s offer for talks, no concrete steps had yet been taken by the government.
Challenging the Punjab government’s claim that PTI had been wiped out from the province, Afridi said he could hold a rally at Minar-i-Pakistan on 24 hours’ notice, while Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz would need a week, allowing the public to judge each party’s popularity. He remarked that he would even assist her by arranging a stage and transport.
Afridi also criticised the Punjab government for what he termed rude and humiliating treatment of him, PTI leaders and workers, particularly at Chakri Interchange and during attempts to reach the Punjab Assembly. He alleged that such conduct reflected a narrow mindset and was fuelling inter-provincial hatred.
He said the Punjab government had ignored requests to allow him meetings with imprisoned PTI leaders at Kot Lakhpat Jail, adding that neither he nor others were allowed to meet Imran Khan.
Later, Afridi criticised the shutdown of Lahore’s Food Street during his visit, despite prior intimation, and termed it another example of hostile treatment. He also addressed the Lahore High Court Bar Association, alleging that judicial authority had been undermined and urging lawyers to stand for judicial independence.
Afridi also visited Imran Khan’s Zaman Park residence along with Aleema Khanum, where heavy police deployment was witnessed. Aleema accused the Punjab government of turning Zaman Park into a jail and claimed the street movement had begun and could not be stopped.
During his Lahore trip, the KP chief minister also met families of jailed PTI leaders and paid tribute to party workers, reiterating that the movement for constitutional supremacy, judicial independence and real democracy would continue until Imran Khan’s release.
