KP CM tells AJK rally that this time entire Pakistan will demonstrate against govt policies
ISLAMABAD/LAHORE:
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Saturday hinted at an imminent call for a large-scale protest while addressing a PTI public meeting at Muzaffarabad’s Lal Chowk to mark the party’s 30th founding day.
Speaking at the crowded rally, Afridi announced that “there will soon be a big call for protest” and that large numbers of people from across the country would join in.
This time, all of Pakistan will come out, he told the crowd, framing the meeting as a preparation for the next phase of the PTI’s street movement following the directives of party founder Imran Khan.
He urged his followers in Azad Jammu and Kashmir to remain prepared. He declared: This time there is no room for error. Are you ready? Be ready!
He criticized the government saying, “You can bomb. You can destroy Imran Khan’s eyes. You can keep him in solitary confinement, but you expect us to offer sacrifices for Pakistan. Is this something that only the PTI has taken care of itself? He questioned? We will come out. We will protest,” he reiterated.
“The Constitution of Pakistan gives us this right. I am risking my entire political future to tell you to respect the Constitution and the vote, but we have tried all legal avenues.
“The superintendent of Adiala jail is throwing away court orders and even the chief justice of Islamabad High Court is not responding to my greetings during Ramadan. These people are not reforming.”
Afridi, who was given the responsibility of mobilizing the street campaign in the region, praised the people of Azad Kashmir for their constant support to Imran Khan. He criticized the “imposed” AJK government, accusing it of stealing the public mandate and using undemocratic tactics.
He warned against any attempt to manipulate the upcoming elections in AJK and promised that PTI workers would not remain silent in the face of alleged injustices, including the imprisonment of Imran and Bushra Bibi.
The event, organized by PTI Azad Kashmir, featured fiery slogans and chants of “D-Chowk” by the audience. Other leaders, including Salman Akram Raja and local PTI figures like Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi, also addressed the gathering.
The latest wave of mobilization has intensified amid lingering concerns about Imran Khan’s health. PTI leaders, including Afridi, have repeatedly alleged that the former prime minister has not received adequate medical care or family access in Adiala jail despite court directives and humanitarian appeals.
They have warned that failure to address these issues could lead to stronger protests nationwide.
The Muzaffarabad meeting follows a clear mobilization roadmap outlined by Afridi. He had initially planned a large rally in Rawalpindi on April 9, but it was canceled on the instructions of Imran Khan due to the prevailing global and regional situation involving foreign delegations in Islamabad.
Afridi then held a large public meeting in Mardan on April 19, where he unveiled the next phase of the street movement. At that event, he declared that the current mobilization campaign would begin in AJK on April 25 coinciding with the founding day of PTI, followed by Lahore on May 1.
After addressing the Lal Chowk rally, Afridi is expected to visit several places in Kashmir during his three-day visit to meet local PTI leaders and workers as part of the ongoing outreach campaign. During his visit to AJK, he is also planning to travel to Neelum Valley.
Punjab PTI in the dark
Uncertainty continues to surround Sohail Afridi’s proposed visit to Lahore, with the PTI’s Punjab chapter saying it is yet to receive any formal communication about the plan, initially announced for May 1 and later said to have been tentatively rescheduled for May 2.
The lack of clarity has left provincial leaders in the dark about preparations, and some in the party have begun to see the move as more smoke than fire: a performative gesture that apparently lacks a concrete action plan. Concerns have also been raised over the likelihood of arrests under the PML-N-led government if the visit goes ahead.
“We don’t know whether KP CM would come to Lahore or not,” said a PTI leader in Punjab.
He revealed that for leaders in Punjab, this remains a tentative programme, adding that Afridi’s presence would obviously lead to mass arrests by the PML-N-led government, so there is little appetite in Punjab for such a visit, especially without any tangible benefits.
“Everyone was prepared for more FIRs and even arrests, but not without clarity on what advantage it would bring to the party or Imran Khan.” He added that, in his opinion, the Prime Minister’s statements at the Mardan rally may have been made without full consideration.
He said that in his reading, the Prime Minister had made a trivial comment while addressing the Mardan rally, without paying much attention to it at the time. He added that the permission requested for May 2 was simply a formality as it was widely understood that the government would not grant approval.
The same leader noted that holding a political event on May 2 could lead to arrests across Punjab, in addition to clashing with a private engagement. He said any such activity on that date could land many party workers in jail.
Since the wedding of the opposition leader’s son is also scheduled for those days, the prime minister’s visit would also create unnecessary complications for himself. He added that the TTAP, or any other pretext, could easily be invoked to postpone the program.
PTI MPA Ejaz Shafi said the provincial leadership had not been formally informed about the visit.
He noted that, in the absence of official communication, the program remained provisional. He added that all prior arrangements would be made once the formal information was received. He maintained that no one in the party feared arrests or FIRs.
PTI Central Secretary Information Sheikh Waqas Akram said the party was yet to take a formal position. “The party has not held its leadership meeting in three days, so the party has not reached an official position on this. Hopefully on Saturday they will hold a meeting to discuss this.”
The KP chief minister had announced his plan to visit Lahore during a rally held on April 19 in Mardan. However, the announcement further strained relations with the TTAP, whose leaders protested the lack of consultation and objected to an overlap with their planned event in Lahore on May 1.
According to several PTI leaders, the party later assured TTAP that the prime minister intended to attend the alliance event before holding his own engagements in the city.
The TTAP has already asked the PTI to ask the KP chief minister to postpone his visit, citing the increased risk of mass arrests by the government in an attempt to restrict his political activity in Punjab. According to the TTAP leaders, the PTI general secretary has assured them in this regard.
