KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced a public gathering at Mazar-e-Quaid in Karachi on January 11, as part of its ongoing street movement ahead of the February 8 protest, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said on Friday.
“I will hold a rally at Mazar-e-Quaid in Karachi at 4:30pm on Sunday,” CM Afridi stated ahead of his Sindh visit, which began after his arrival at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport.
The KP chief minister said the rally would convey the message of PTI founder Imran Khan, who is currently jailed, to all corners of Sindh. He urged the people of Sindh to extend full support to the party in preparation for the street movement. “We aim to hold the largest rally in Karachi’s history,” Afridi added.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi arrived in Karachi on Friday to begin a three-day visit aimed at mobilising support for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) street movement.
Sindh Labour Minister Saeed Ghani received the KP chief minister at the airport, where the two were seen exchanging greetings. During the welcome, Afridi was presented with a traditional Sindhi cap and Ajrak.
During his interaction with the media, Sohail Afridi compared his arrival in the metropolis with his recent visit to Lahore and said, “Karachi has been more welcoming than Lahore”.
“The democratic traditions of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto are still alive in Sindh,” said the KP CM during his informal interaction with journalists at the press club.
The KP chief minister said that the purpose of his visit to Sindh’s provincial capital was to prepare for the PTI’s street movement.
“The Punjab tour was not a good experience. Wherever we went to eat food, the lights of that area were turned off,” he told reporters.
Afridi said that they had received verbal approval from the Sindh government for Sunday’s rally, though they had not received a response in writing.
“Imran Khan did not struggle for power but for the independence of the judiciary, true democracy and freedom of expression. This is why he has been imprisoned,” the KP CM said in his address at the press club.
“In prison, he has been treated in an inhumane manner and kept in the same place where terrorists are held,” he added.
Fielding questions, CM Afridi said that he saw traces of former premiers Benazir Bhutto and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in Sindh’s governance and expressed satisfaction.
CM Afridi, in another response, noted that there was a peace jirga in the provincial assembly, where all political parties agreed on fifteen points.
“One of these points was that military operations are not a problem, but if one is carried out, it would be thuggery,” he added.
During the visit, Afridi will meet party leadership, as well as lawyers, business organisations, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, and media representatives in Karachi. At Islamabad Airport, members of the public took selfies with the chief minister, who was accompanied by provincial cabinet members and K-P’s members of the National and Provincial Assemblies.
Speaking to reporters at the airport, Afridi said Sindh party leadership had shared the visit schedule and called for participation in planned activities, including a rally at Mazar-e-Quaid on Sunday.
CM Afridi announced that he would hold a major public gathering at Mazar-i-Quaid on Sunday at 4:30pm, claiming it would be the largest rally in Karachi’s history. He said the visit was aimed at conveying party founder Imran Khan’s message and strengthening the street movement.
Sindh govt allows PTI rally at Jinnah Ground
Meanwhile, the Sindh government has decided to allow Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to hold a political rally at Jinnah Ground in Karachi, provincial minister Nasir Hussain Shah said on Saturday.
Talking to media, Nasir Shah stated that Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sohail Afridi would be warmly welcomed in Sindh and is free to carry out political activities anywhere in the province. He said that the peaceful struggle of any political party, including PTI, cannot be stopped. However, he warned that problems could arise if the law is violated.
The provincial minister clarified that there is no ban on PTI’s rally. He added that the party has also applied for permission to hold rallies in Korangi and the South district. PTI has formally sought permission for a rally at Jinnah Garden, which is being granted in accordance with the law. He said talks are ongoing with PTI leadership and permission for a Karachi rally can be given as per legal requirements.
Meanwhile, PTI Karachi President Raja Azhar said that the Sindh government has verbally informed the party that permission for the rally is being granted, but the Assistant Commissioner has not yet issued the formal No Objection Certificate (NOC). He said that once the NOC is issued, PTI will submit the required challan to the Quaid-e-Azam administration.
Raja Azhar expressed concern that the NOC must be submitted by 3 pm on Saturday, but the district administration, including the Assistant Commissioner, is no longer responding to PTI’s calls.
On the other hand, before departing for Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi claimed that PTI would hold the biggest rally in Karachi’s history. He said he is visiting Sindh for three days and that a major rally will be held on Sunday at the Quaid-e-Azam shrine.
According to him, the schedule has been released by PTI Sindh President Haleem Adil Sheikh and the party organization. He urged the people of Sindh to actively participate in all programs and fully support the street movement. Sohail Afridi said that during his visit, he would convey the message of PTI founder and Chairman Imran Khan to every corner of Sindh.
He further announced that on Sunday at 4:30 pm, what he termed the largest rally in the city’s history would be held at the Quaid-e-Azam shrine in Karachi.
Separately, PTI Secretary General Barrister Salman Akram Raja has arrived in Karachi on a visit to Sindh. In his message upon reaching the city, he termed the visit an important milestone, saying that the voice raised from Karachi would be heard across the country.
