KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi says PTI will continue its Karachi mobilisation despite alleged road blockades and arrests of party workers in Sindh.
HYDERABAD: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has vowed to reach Karachi and launch a street movement despite alleged road blockades, saying he would remain in Sindh until the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) achieved its objective.
Speaking to the media while travelling towards Karachi after addressing a rally in Hyderabad, Afridi said the PTI would hold its rally even if authorities prevented the caravan from reaching the city on the scheduled day.
“If we cannot reach Karachi today, then, InshaAllah, we will hold the rally tomorrow; if not tomorrow, then the day after,” he said, adding that he would not leave Sindh without carrying out the planned street movement.
Afridi accuses Sindh government of blocking PTI routes
Afridi accused the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)-led Sindh government of creating obstacles for the PTI caravan.
He challenged PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to identify those responsible for the alleged blockades if they were not being carried out on his instructions.
The PTI later alleged that police had blocked highways and arrested party workers as the caravan travelled from Hyderabad towards Karachi.
The party described the alleged measures as an attempt to restrict peaceful political activity and called on the Sindh government to open the routes and release detained workers.
The PTI also criticised Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for welcoming Afridi’s visit on social media while, according to the party, administrative restrictions were being imposed on the ground.
Afridi demands apology from Maryam Nawaz
Earlier, Afridi demanded an apology from Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz over her reported remarks that Punjab faced a greater security threat from Pakistan’s other provinces than from neighbouring countries.
Addressing a rally at Haider Chowk in Hyderabad, Afridi said the remarks about the smaller provinces were unacceptable and risked deepening political and provincial divisions.
He also criticised the PML-N leadership, accusing it of undermining state institutions and placing personal interests above national interests.
Afridi alleged that political power in Punjab and Sindh remained concentrated within two major political families.
He further accused elected representatives of benefiting from what he described as a stolen public mandate, while calling for greater political participation by young people.
PTI announces September 27 mobilisation
The KP chief minister urged supporters to participate in a planned mobilisation on September 27, saying the event would be about Pakistan, its people and the country’s future.
He called on people to come out of their homes and resist what he described as attempts to suppress political rights through force.
Afridi also claimed that the long-standing political dominance of established parties in Sindh would eventually end, saying a government based on justice would emerge.
The PTI has maintained that road blockades, police deployments and arrests would not prevent its supporters from participating in political activities, while calling on the Sindh government to ensure freedom of political expression.
Karachi mobilisation becomes fresh political flashpoint
The dispute comes amid growing political tensions between the PTI and rival provincial governments, with Afridi’s planned Karachi mobilisation emerging as a fresh flashpoint between the two sides.
The PTI says it intends to continue its political activities despite the alleged restrictions, while Afridi has pledged to remain in Sindh until the party’s planned street movement is carried out.