ISLAMABAD (MNN); Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Friday evening stepped up efforts to energise Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s support base in Karachi ahead of the party’s planned countrywide street movement.
Following his visit to the Karachi Press Club (KPC), the chief minister was scheduled to call on Insaf House and address public gatherings in Karachi’s South and Malir districts.
Earlier, Afridi arrived at the press club where he met members of the journalist community and appreciated the reception extended by the Sindh government. His convoy, accompanied by a large number of PTI supporters, took nearly six hours to reach the press club from the airport.
Speaking to the media, Afridi compared his Karachi visit with a recent trip to Lahore, saying the metropolis had proved more welcoming. He remarked that the democratic traditions associated with Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto were still alive in Sindh.
The KP chief minister said his visit to Sindh’s capital was aimed at preparations for PTI’s upcoming street movement. He criticised his Punjab tour, claiming that lights were switched off at places where he stopped for meals.
Afridi said the party had received verbal permission from the Sindh government for a rally planned for Sunday, though written approval was still awaited.
Addressing journalists, he said Imran Khan did not struggle for power but for judicial independence, genuine democracy and freedom of expression, adding that this was why the former prime minister had been imprisoned. He alleged that Imran Khan was being treated inhumanely in jail and kept in facilities meant for terrorists.
Responding to questions, Afridi expressed satisfaction with Sindh’s governance, saying he saw reflections of Benazir Bhutto and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in the province’s administrative approach.
He also referred to a peace jirga held in the KP Assembly, where all political parties agreed on 15 points. One of these, he said, was that while military operations in principle were not the issue, conducting them without consensus amounted to coercion.
Afridi stressed that decisions taken behind closed doors could not bring peace, warning that lasting stability was impossible without involving tribal elders and local leadership as stakeholders. Questioning the outcomes of military operations, he asked what guarantee existed that peace would return afterward.
He said he would attend any meeting called by the prime minister on terrorism, even if it was based on a single-point agenda. According to Afridi, terrorism could only be tackled if all political parties and the provincial and federal governments jointly decided on a course of action and implemented it collectively.
Earlier, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi arrived in Karachi on Friday, beginning a three-day visit to Sindh as part of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s efforts to mobilise its street movement.
Sindh Labour Minister Saeed Ghani received the KP chief minister at the airport. A video released by Ghani’s office showed the two leaders greeting each other warmly, with the minister presenting Afridi with a Sindhi cap and Ajrak. PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja has also reached Karachi.
Videos shared by PTI on social media platform X showed a large number of party workers and supporters gathered at the airport to welcome the chief minister. Afridi had flown to Karachi from Islamabad, where his flight faced delays, according to KP Local Government Minister Meena Khan Afridi, who is accompanying him.
PTI alleges removal of tents
Meanwhile, PTI spokesperson Mohammed Ali Bozdar alleged that police dismantled tents set up outside the party’s head office near the Nursery area for the reception of the KP chief minister. He clarified, however, that the office itself had not been sealed.
Earlier, PTI had claimed on X that Sindh police had sealed the Insaf Secretariat in Karachi and removed the camp arranged for Afridi’s welcome. Bozdar said CM Afridi was scheduled to address party workers and leaders at the head office after arriving from the airport.
He added that after speaking to police and Sindh government officials, he was assured the tents would be returned and the party would be allowed to hold a gathering, provided roads were not blocked. Attempts to seek comments from police remained unanswered.
Mazar-i-Quaid gathering planned
Before leaving Islamabad, CM Afridi said in a post on X that he was bringing party founder Imran Khan’s “message” to Sindh. He said his three-day visit included several planned activities and urged people to support PTI’s street movement.
The chief minister announced that he would address a public gathering at Mazar-i-Quaid on Sunday at 4:30pm, claiming it would be the largest rally in Karachi’s history.
Initially, Sindh authorities had indicated that permission would not be granted for a rally at Mazar-i-Quaid, citing traffic congestion and public inconvenience, and asked PTI to suggest an alternative venue. However, Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah later announced that permission had been granted.
He said the province would welcome CM Afridi and that peaceful political struggle could not be stopped, while warning that action could be taken if the law was violated. He added that PTI had sought permission for rallies in South and Korangi districts, including Jinnah Ground, and these requests were being considered in accordance with the law.
Visit agenda
During his three-day stay, CM Afridi is expected to meet PTI leadership, lawyers, business figures and journalists, and also hold a meeting with Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah. The visit aims to energise PTI’s street movement in Karachi and other cities for the release of the jailed former prime minister.
PTI Sindh President Haleem Adil Sheikh earlier shared details of the visit, saying Afridi would be welcomed by party workers and escorted to Insaf House, followed by meetings with party leaders and delegations.
His engagements include meetings with traders at the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry, a press interaction at the Karachi Press Club, and street protests in South, Korangi and Malir districts. He is also expected to meet jailed PTI workers.
On January 10, the KP chief minister is scheduled to travel to Hyderabad, where he will be received in Jamshoro by Sindh United Party President Syed Zain Shah. His Hyderabad programme includes street protests, meetings with lawyers, journalists, intellectuals and farmers, and a gathering at Insaf House Hyderabad.
A meeting between the chief ministers of KP and Sindh is also expected on January 12, subject to official confirmation.
Last month, CM Afridi’s visit to Lahore for similar political mobilisation faced obstacles, after which he wrote to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, complaining about the treatment he received during the visit.
