Rana Arshad says KP delegation’s entry into Punjab depends on following law, warns against incitement
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was stopped at a Punjab Police barricade near Chakri on Thursday while traveling to Lahore to attend the Punjab Assembly session, according to officials from his office.
Speaking at the site, Afridi criticized the barricades, saying “sealing of accommodation and meal areas is a clear sign of fear”. He said that Punjab officials were “not elected representatives” and claimed that blocking the movement of public representatives was an attempt to suppress political activity.
“The public knows that fearful rulers make decisions behind closed doors,” says CM Afridi.
According to a statement issued by the KP Chief Minister’s Secretariat on December 24, Afridi also addressed workers of the Insaf Students Federation (ISF) and said that the PTI and its affiliates “base their politics on resistance”.
He said preparations for a political mobilization in Lahore had begun under the guidance of PTI founder Imran Khan, and urged youth activists to prioritize discipline and organization over emotions. Afridi said the success of any street movement depended on a strong organizational structure that directed the ISF to activate students in universities and colleges.
He added that the party’s strength lay at the grassroots level and said organizational work needed to be completed at the ward, union council and district levels.
Punjab MPA Rana Arshad said the KP delegation would be welcomed in the province but must “follow the law”, adding that there was no room for incitement or violence.
“When Gandapur arrived, he took an AK-47 and smashed vehicles in Shahdara,” says Arshad. The law has been followed in the Punjab Assembly and if armed groups or individuals come, they will not be treated as if they are above the law. He has added that if there is a strike or protest in connection with May 9 or February 8, it can be done peacefully. They will start from Punjab but there will be no room for instigators. Lahore cannot tolerate non-seriousness in the Punjab Assembly or the city.
Read: Achakzai, Senator Nasir Abbas given mandate for talks, protest: KP CM
He said peaceful protests were allowed under the law, including over issues related to May 9 or February 8, but warned that “there will be no room for instigators”.
Arshad said the KP Chief Minister should attend with protocol and security but “not make the Punjab Assembly a political venue”.
Earlier in the day, Afridi made a stop at the Bhera area where a lunch was held in his honour. Supporters gathered at the spot and chanted PTI slogans, according to party workers.
The KP chief minister later reached Lahore and after attending the assembly session is scheduled to visit Liberty Market, officials said.
