Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. SCREEN CAPTURE
ISLAMABAD:
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Thursday announced that he will take his street campaign to Karachi on January 9 to mobilize party supporters and convey the message of jailed party founder Imran Khan.
Days after concluding a tense three-day visit to Lahore aimed at launching the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) street movement, Afridi wrote on X: “Friday, January 9! Karachi, Sindh, are you ready?”
The KP chief minister said he would visit Karachi “carrying Imran Khan’s message” and would meet “all friends of the party”.
Afridi had earlier hinted that Karachi would be his next destination as part of efforts to galvanize PTI workers across the country following the launch of the street movement.
His announcement comes after a turbulent visit to Lahore, during which he attempted to address his supporters at Liberty Chowk, but was unable to do so after police sealed off all access roads through picketing.
During the same visit, Afridi addressed PTI lawmakers in the Punjab Assembly, an appearance marked by altercations between members of his entourage and security officials. Several heated exchanges were also witnessed between PTI leaders and journalists.
He was prohibited from entering the cantonment area to meet party leaders and was also prevented from visiting the food street, which had been closed before his arrival. Later, Afridi went to Zaman Park amid heavy police deployment, while reports also emerged that PTI supporters were detained during the tour.
On Monday, Afridi formally lodged a complaint with Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, objecting to the treatment he received during the visit to Lahore.
In his letter, the KP chief minister said the Punjab government’s adoption of an extraordinary and excessive security posture, including widespread arrests and visible law enforcement theatrics, was “a message of intimidation rather than cooperation”.
