Sindh allows PTI rally in Bagh-e-Jinnah

KARACHI/HYDERABAD:

The Sindh government on Saturday allowed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to hold a public rally in Bagh-e-Jinnah, issuing a no-objection certificate (NOC) with conditions that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi promised to go ahead with a nationwide street movement led by the jailed party, which faced opposition from Khanre.

According to officials, the NOC was issued by Deputy Commissioner East. Senior Sindh Minister for Information Sharjeel Inam Memon said in a statement that PTI’s rally would be held on Sunday (today) at Bagh-e-Jinnah Ground.

He said the NOC had been issued on conditions under which the organizers would bear the full responsibility of maintaining law and order.

He said that no provocative speeches, materials or sectarian discourses would be allowed, nor would any speech against Pakistan or state institutions be allowed.

Maintaining a smooth flow of traffic during the rally would be the responsibility of the organisers. The program had to be completed before the stipulated time and the district administration would retain the power to cancel the permit for security reasons.

The approval comes weeks after Afridi took his street drive to Lahore, where PTI leaders complained of obstacles, restrictions and denial of permission to hold a public meeting, an experience the chief minister later cited as a symbol of the constricted political space.

Meanwhile, CM Afridi, while addressing political gatherings in Sindh, said that the nationwide struggle for “real freedom” under Imran Khan’s leadership continued in full swing, aimed at ensuring a free media, an independent judiciary and the rule of the constitution and rule of law.

He said the movement would continue until Imran Khan’s vision of national sovereignty, public welfare and constitutional supremacy was realised, adding that preparations for a street movement were underway and every conscious and patriotic citizen would be approached to join the struggle.

He said that whenever Imran Khan called, the public would respond with full force.

Speaking at a reception hosted by Sindh United Party Chairman Syed Zain Shah during his visit to Jamshoro, the Chief Minister thanked party workers and supporters for the warm welcome.

He said it was heartening that the Sindh United Party was actively engaged in the struggle for the fundamental rights of the people of Sindh, which he described as crucial for strengthening democratic values.

‘Zardari has ended the Bhutto legacy’

Commenting on Sindh’s political situation, Afridi said that Asif Ali Zardari had effectively ended the political legacy of Benazir Bhutto and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and that Sindh was now under Zardari’s control.

He said it was regrettable that a party that claimed to defend the Constitution and the 18th Amendment had changed the constitutional structure through the 26th and 27th Amendments, which he said had undermined democratic principles.

He said that despite locking the gates of Jinnah Garden, a public meeting would be held and a clear message would be sent that Sindh belonged to Imran Khan and would continue to do so.

Earlier in Karachi, Afridi addressed PTI workers in Qayyumabad and Korangi and later spoke to the media before leaving for Hyderabad. He said the large turnout and enthusiastic response across Karachi showed that Imran Khan remained the country’s most popular political leader, adding that claims of the end of Imran’s political role were disproved by the city’s streets, markets and public gatherings.

He announced that a major rally would be held on Sunday at the Jinnah Ground, calling for one of the largest public gatherings in Karachi’s history.

He said that on a single call from the unjustly imprisoned Imran Khan, people were ready to take to the streets and the response showed that Karachi was fully prepared for the movement.

Drawing historical parallels, Afridi said that transformation would not come through the return of figures like Muhammad bin Qasim or Tariq bin Ziyad, but by cultivating courage, resolve and determination in the people themselves.

He said the concept of “burning the boats” symbolized eliminating all options for retreat and moving forward with full commitment to the struggle for constitutional supremacy. He added that the street movement would not remain confined to one city but would spread across Pakistan with every city becoming a D-Chowk.

Earlier speaking to the media while leaving for Hyderabad, the Chief Minister said that an NOC to hold a rally near Mazar-e-Quaid was yet to be issued, though he said the Sindh government had shown a positive attitude.

He contrasted this with the past behavior of the Punjab government, which he said was still vividly remembered.

He said that Imran Khan had entrusted him to organize the preparations for the street movement, which was expected to intensify in the coming days. He added that the decision to continue protest or negotiations would be taken by Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Aain Pakistan (TTAP) and would be fully endorsed.

He said the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had expressed confidence in the PTI for the third time and in response welfare initiatives such as free health coverage had been extended across the province.

He also said that appointments would be held with KP residents living in Sindh to listen to their concerns, which would be taken up directly with the Sindh Chief Minister to ensure that their legitimate problems were addressed.

Sindh is being treated as a stepchild

Reminding Sindh of KP’s repeated support for the former’s rights over the Indus River, Afridi also called on the people of Sindh to fight the cause for his province, which he felt was being meted out as a “stepmotherly treatment” by the Centre.

Addressing the party workers, lawyers and the press in Hyderabad and Jamshoro, Afridi also asked the supporters to prepare for PTI’s street movement which will soon be called against the incumbent government.

“Even the institutions that have a role to play in strengthening democracy treat KP as a stepmother.”

The talk of rights for KP and the tribal areas dominated Afridi’s speeches as well as questions and answers from Afridi in the press compared to the mention of PTI leader and former prime minister Imran Khan.

Nevertheless, he continued to berate the country’s legal system for denying his leader freedom from imprisonment. “Imran Khan can be freed in 30 minutes if the judiciary independently gives its orders.” The CM reiterated his party’s and the provincial government’s rejection of the military operation in KP and the tribal areas.

He argued that Khan’s strong stance while pursuing genuine democracy, rule of law and constitution, restoration of free judiciary and free media should not be considered his stubbornness. He believed that the people of the country should rather fight to achieve the same goals.

Afridi told the lawyers that his party felt saddened when they witnessed neither the lawyers nor the judges reacting strongly against the 26th and 27th constitutional amendments, which he believed had stripped the judiciary of its authority. “But time is not lost as more amendments are on the way to weaken the law and the constitution.”

He urged the lawyers to lead a movement for the supremacy of law and the constitution.

‘OPP deformed the basic structure of the constitution’

He accused the PPP of deforming the very basic structure of the constitution by giving its support to the 26th constitutional amendment. He lamented that the armed forces are treating him like an outcast, pointing out that chief ministers from other provinces are offered air force flights for their travels and even “to bring their breakfast”, but he is denied the same treatment.

Afridi reminded the Center that he represented 45 million people in his province and that his individual self should not be made the subject of controversy. The CM reiterated his government’s stance of being denied a fair share in the National Finance Commission (NFC) award as an additional allocation to the erstwhile tribal areas, which have now been made part of KP, is still not awarded.

He also lamented the federal government’s lack of interest in infrastructure development in KP and pointed out that the Northern Bypass in Peshawar, the construction of which started in 2010 at a cost of Rs3 billion, is still not complete.

The CM maintained that due to the Centre’s non-contribution to the project, the cost has escalated over tenfold to Rs31 billion.

Responding to a question on DG ISPR Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry’s statement about a link in KP with terrorists, the CM said he strongly rejected this position with condemnation. He recalled that a 15-point agenda for the Center drawn up by a conglomerate of political and religious parties in the KP had also emphasized that the military operation did not provide a solution to the problem.

He went on to accuse the Center of reneging on its promises to compensate the displaced in the tribal areas undergoing army operation. Afridi said people were evicted from Baka Khel in Bannu district with a promise of compensation from the Centre.

However, he claimed that his provincial government ended up paying Rs 7.5 billion. to the displaced because the federal government did not honor its commitment.

He said people have been deprived of their rights over their natural resources.

Shah, meanwhile, said they reject all constitutional amendments passed since 2022. He claimed that the TTAP wanted to protect the country’s constitution. He claimed that thousands of lives have been lost to see Sindh exist as an autonomous province in the country, but the struggle still continued.

With inputs from Karachi Correspondent