Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. Photo: X
LAHORE:
The PML-N-led Punjab government appeared to be pulling out all the stops to deny PTI any political show during Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi’s visit to Lahore as his first day in the city was overshadowed by a series of disturbing developments.
Afridi lamented the distasteful events on his first day in the provincial capital and aired his complaint about ill-treatment by the Punjab police.
In response to a question, he said that he had only come across bad behavior and disrespect in Punjab, but maintained that through his own behavior he would teach the Punjab government respect and manners.
The KP chief minister arrived in Lahore on Friday for a three-day visit and despite the hurdles, he went ahead with a packed political schedule. He spent an eventful day in the provincial capital, visiting party leaders’ residences and holding meetings with PTI parliamentarians and Punjab Assembly officials.
Towards the end of the day, Afridi also went to the Liberty Roundabout, which remains a place of symbolic importance for the PTI, which was long considered the nerve center of its political activity in Lahore.
Prior to the visit, the Punjab Police had already taken measures to prevent PTI workers from reaching the area. Afridi and his delegation also faced what appeared to be a visibly hostile media presence at the Punjab assembly, where the atmosphere suggested an attempt to provoke a scene.
Earlier, the KP Chief Minister had entered Lahore with a large convoy consisting of more than 60 vehicles at various locations.
The convoy entered the city via Babu Sabu and moved towards Thokar Niaz Baig, but was intercepted by the police at Chakri, apparently to prevent it from taking off.
Reacting to the situation, Afridi alleged that PTI workers were harassed at several places, including Chakri and Bhera, and were prevented from joining the convoy.
He called the circumstances “undemocratic” and compared them to “martial law-like conditions”.
On entering Lahore, Afridi said his vehicles were stopped at various city interchanges and accused the Punjab government of creating unnecessary friction between the provinces.
“Such actions only increase inter-provincial hatred,” he said, adding that the people of Punjab had nevertheless given him a warm and enthusiastic welcome.
On broader political issues, the KP chief minister dismissed claims that PTI’s founding chairman was a national threat, calling him instead a “symbol of national unity”.
He accused the ruling coalition of large-scale corruption and criticized the sale of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), alleging that it was sold at a price lower than the value of luxury cars.
Later in the day, Afridi visited the residences of PTI leaders Nadeem Abbas Bara and lawyer Haider Majeed in Lahore. During these movements, police erected temporary barriers and intermittently stopped vehicles following the convoy, causing several cars to be separated from the main procession.
At the Punjab Assembly, security officials restricted access, allowing only people whose names were included in pre-approved lists.
PTI General Secretary Salman Akram Raja was initially stopped but later allowed entry, while Shaukat Basra was denied entry altogether. These restrictions sparked heated exchanges between opposition members and assembly security personnel.
Inside the assembly, Leader of the Opposition Moeen Qureshi and several opposition MPAs – including Farrukh Javed Moon, Brigadier (retd) Mushtaq, Imtiaz Sheikh, Nadia Kharral and Seemabia Tahir – received the KP Chief Minister.
Tensions later escalated into scuffles between security personnel accompanying the KP Chief Minister and security personnel of the Punjab Assembly as a large number of people entered the premises and disturbed order.
Addressing the media at the rally, Afridi said he was in Lahore to meet party leaders and parliamentarians and would stay in the city till Sunday.
He said the police not only misbehaved with him in Chakri, but party leaders and workers were harassed, several were arrested and rounded up.
“Fascism and injustice were on full display in Punjab,” he said, adding that the treatment meted out to the PTI leaders during the visit reflected what the people of Punjab had been subjected to “day in and day out” for the past three years.
Referring to a press conference by the security establishment, Afridi said that those who had brought the PML-N to power on the promise of economic revival must now confront the economic reality of the country.
“Our GDP went from 6.2 per cent to below 3 per cent, debt has increased to manifold, industrial growth was negative – in fact industries were moving out of Pakistan,” he said.
Referring to the Prime Minister’s speech, the KP Chief Minister said that “who promised to sell his clothes, PIA sold”. He claimed that 30 million young Pakistanis had already left the country for greener pastures, while another 30 million were desperately trying to leave the country.
“If people today were given the opportunity, every embassy would have twenty million people queuing outside their door,” he said, adding that people were deeply concerned about their safety and finances.
‘Fascist government’
He warned that those responsible for the current situation must realize that “imposing decisions behind closed doors has consequences”.
He further claimed that the “fascist government’s” sole focus was to crush the PTI – preventing it from holding rallies and blocking meetings with its “lifelong chairman” Imran Khan.
The KP chief minister was also followed by a journalist during his exit who appeared to be trying to provoke further drama.
It is pertinent to mention that according to the city’s crime reporters, hundreds of PTI workers were rounded up by the police ahead of the KP Chief Minister’s arrival.
The police also had to strategically keep people away from Afridi so that his presence would not turn into a rally.
