KP CM tells the AJK meeting this time that whole Pakistan will come out against the policies of the government
ISLAMABAD/LAHORE:
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Saturday hinted at an impending large-scale protest call when he addressed a PTI public gathering in Muzaffarabad’s Lal Chowk to mark the party’s 30th foundation day.
Speaking at the well-attended rally, Afridi announced that “a very big protest call is coming soon” and that people from all over the country would participate in large numbers.
This time all of Pakistan will come out, he told the crowd, framing the rally as preparation for the next phase of the PTI’s street movement under the directives of party founder Imran Khan.
He urged supporters in Azad Jammu and Kashmir to stay ready. He declared: There is no room for error this time. Are you ready? Be ready!
He criticized the government saying “You can shell. You can destroy Imran Khan’s eyes. You can keep him in solitary confinement but expect us to sacrifice for Pakistan. Is this something only PTI has taken on. He questioned? We will come out. We will protest. He reiterated.
“The Pakistani constitution gives us this right. I risk my entire political future by telling them to respect the constitution and the vote, but we have tried every legal avenue.
“The Adiala Jail Superintendent throws court orders in the dustbin and even the Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court does not respond to my greetings during Ramazan. These people do not reform.”
Afridi, who was assigned the responsibility of mobilizing the street campaign in the region, praised the people of Azad Kashmir for their consistent support to Imran Khan. He criticized the “imposed” government in AJK, accusing it of stealing the public mandate and using undemocratic tactics.
He warned against any attempt to manipulate upcoming elections in AJK and vowed that PTI workers would not remain silent on 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” from 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 due to ongoing concerns over Imran Khan’s health. PTI leaders, including Afridi, have repeatedly claimed 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 nationwide protests.
The Muzaffarabad rally follows a clear mobilization roadmap outlined by Afridi. He had initially planned a major rally in Rawalpindi on April 9, but it was canceled on Imran Khan’s instructions due to the prevailing global and regional situation involving foreign delegations in Islamabad.
Afridi then held a large public gathering in Mardan on April 19, where he unveiled the next phase of the street movement. At that event, he declared that the current mobilization effort would begin in AJK on 25 April coinciding with PTI’s foundation day followed by Lahore on 1 May.
After addressing the Lal Chowk rally, Afridi is expected to visit various 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 scheduled to travel to Neelum Valley.
Punjab PTI in the dark
Uncertainty continues to surround Sohail Afridi’s proposed visit to Lahore, with the Punjab chapter of PTI saying it has yet to receive any formal communication regarding the plan, which was initially announced for May 1 and later said to have been tentatively rescheduled for May 2.
The lack of clarity has left the provincial leadership in the dark about the preparations, with some in the party beginning to see the move as more smoke than fire – a performative gesture that appears to lack any concrete plan of action. Concerns have also been raised about the likelihood of arrests under the PML-N-led government if the visit goes ahead.
“We don’t know whether the KP CM would come to Lahore or not,” said a PTI leader in Punjab.
He revealed that for the leadership in Punjab, this remains a tentative programme, adding that Afridi’s presence would naturally trigger mass arrests by the PML-N-led government, so there is little appetite in Punjab for such a visit, especially without any tangible gain.
“Everyone was prepared for more FIRs and even arrests, but not without clarity on what benefit it would bring to the party or to Imran Khan.” He added that in his opinion the Chief Minister’s remarks at the Mardan meeting may have been made without complete consideration.
He said that the Chief Minister in his reading had made a flippant remark while addressing the Mardan meeting without paying much attention to it at the time. He added that the requested permission for May 2 was a mere 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 trigger arrests across Punjab while clashing with a private engagement. He said any such activity on that date could land many party workers in jail.
With the opposition leader’s son’s wedding also scheduled around those days, the Prime Minister’s visit would also create unnecessary complications for himself. He added that TTAP, or some other pretext, could easily be cited to delay 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 tentative. He added that all prior arrangements would be made once the formal notification was received. He maintained that no one in the party feared arrests or FIRs.
PTI’s Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said the party was yet to take a formal stand. “The party has not held its leadership meeting for three days, which is why the party has not reached an official position in that regard. Hopefully they will hold a meeting on Saturday to discuss this.”
The KP chief minister had announced his plan to visit Lahore during a meeting on April 19 in Mardan. However, the announcement further strained relations with TTAP, whose leaders protested the lack of consultation and objected to an overlap with their planned event in Lahore on 1 May.
According to several PTI leaders, the party later assured TTAP that the chief minister intended to attend the alliance event before holding his own engagements in the city.
TTAP has already requested 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 curb his political activity in Punjab. According to TTAP leaders, they have been assured by the PTI General Secretary regarding the matter.
