Pakistan’s KPK CM Afridi’s movement restricted in Lahore

Lahore, Dec 27 (PTI) Pakistan's Khy­ber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi's movement was restricted in Lahore on Saturday as he was not allowed to enter the Cantonment area, a day after he announced his party’s street movement against the government.  "On Saturday, KP CM Sohail Afridi could not visit former Punjab governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema’s house as it was located in a cantonment," Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party's lawyer Naeem Panjutha said.  Late on Friday night, Afridi managed to reach Liberty Chowk but could not deliver a planned speech at the venue to officially announce the launch of the "street movement" as a heavy contingent of police had blocked all roads leading to the area by setting up pickets.  Imran Khan’s sisters -- Aleema Khan and Noreen Khan Niazi -- also managed to reach the venue. Afridi declared that the movement against the government has begun.  On Saturday, Afridi was also not allowed by the Punjab government to meet the party's incarcerated leaders, including former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and former Punjab health minister Yasmin Rashid, at Kot Lakhpat jail. He then met with their families.

Afridi also challenged the PML-N to select a ground of its choice to see with whom the people of Punjab are. “I will also set up a stage for them in KP. If they cannot provide transport to the people, I will also provide them with transport. They can hold a jalsa (rally) in KP, and I will hold one in Lahore," he said, adding that the PTI can fill the Minar-e-Pakistan ground in just one day’s notice, but the PMLN can't even do so in a week's preparations.  He also addressed a lawyers’ event here. “You have seen how the fake Punjab government has been treating their guests from the KP. Imran Khan sahab has issued the orders to begin preparation for the street movement,” he said and added three judges of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had allowed him to meet former prime minister and PTI supremo Imran Khan, but the jail superintendent callously dismissed the orders.  A day before, over 1,000 supporters of Imran Khan were arrested to thwart his party's street movement against the military-backed governments at the provincial and federal levels.

Khan, the 73-year-old PTI founder, has been in jail since August 2023, facing multiple corruption cases.  Senior PTI leaders, including Afridi, have been preparing to initiate the street movement across Punjab province with the sole aim of getting Khan released.

The PTI has blamed the military-backed government led by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) at both the federal and the Punjab province for harassing the PTI leader.

“In a crackdown on PTI workers in Lahore, police arrested more than 1,000 workers,” Qureshi said in a statement.

“Afridi has reached Lahore to start this fresh street movement against the government. However, the Punjab police stopped dozens of vehicles of PTI supporters from entering Lahore. They were accompanying Afridi,” he added.

Khan's party has at least twice attempted to lodge nationwide protests. This latest plan of street protests came a day after Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were sentenced to 17 years in jail each by a court on December 20 in the Toshakhana 2 corruption case. PTI MZ RD RD