Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi reached Adiala Jail on Thursday to meet PTI founder Imran Khan, but he could not get permission to meet him. After the meeting did not take place, the Chief Minister directed the party leaders and workers to come out to protest in squares and intersections across the country at 10 pm.
Sohail Afridi reached Adiala Road along with PTI leaders and MNA’s, where security arrangements were made on the way to the jail. The police stopped them from going further, while later the obstacles on Adiala Road were removed and the traffic flow was restored.
The Chief Minister said that he would wait until the appointed time to meet Imran Khan. However, in case the meeting did not take place, he directed the party MLAs, parliamentarians and officials to be ready for the activities at 10 pm.
Sohail Afridi asked the workers to gather in squares and intersections of their areas carrying the flags of Pakistan and PTI. According to him, this activity in different cities of the country can take the form of a large-scale protest.
In his statement, the Chief Minister also referred to the proposed Islamabad march on September 27 and directed the workers to continue their preparations for it. He said that PTI intends to bring a large number of workers to Islamabad, and for this purpose, political contacts will continue in different districts.
Sohail Afridi criticised the government for the attitude towards Imran Khan and the PTI and claimed that the political situation has been continuously deteriorating since 2022. He also severely criticised the current political system; however, this stance is the political opinion of the Chief Minister and the PTI.
He said that if the government wants to improve the political situation, then a meeting with Imran Khan should be allowed before the September 27 march. According to him, if the issue of the meeting is not resolved, political tension may increase further.
The issue of meetings with Imran Khan has been a major point of disagreement between the PTI and the relevant authorities for some time. The party has termed access to meetings as a political and legal issue, while the rules and security arrangements for meetings with regard to the prison administration are key factors.
The latest development comes at a time when the PTI has indicated that it will intensify its political activities in the coming weeks. The call for a 10pm protest and the preparations for a September 27 march both appear to be an attempt by the party to increase political pressure. However, public participation in the protests, the administrative response and future negotiations or legal developments will determine the direction of the political situation.
