ISLAMABAD: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Monday urged lawyers in Islamabad to rise in defence of an independent judiciary, as he continued efforts to mobilise support for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) street movement.
Addressing the legal fraternity at an event organised by the Islamabad Bar Association, Afridi warned that silence on constitutional supremacy and judicial independence would haunt future generations. Following a three-day visit to Lahore, the chief minister announced Karachi as his next stop in the political outreach campaign.
“If you do not stand up for the supremacy of the Constitution, the rule of law and an independent judiciary, future generations will spit on us and you as well,” Afridi said, calling on lawyers to launch a nationwide movement. He added that the youth would stand shoulder to shoulder with them, declaring: “Long live resistance.”
The chief minister urged lawyers to support PTI founder Imran Khan against what he described as oppression and injustice, opposing the 26th and 27th Constitutional Amendments, alleged unfair trials of journalists and politicians, and the continued detention of political workers.
Afridi said Imran Khan was not seeking any favours but only a fair trial, while contrasting his situation with the return of a “convicted person” to the country, an apparent reference to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s arrival in October 2023.
During his address, the KP chief minister praised Advocate Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir, saying her stance had inspired a new culture of resistance among the youth. He also highlighted recent convictions of journalists following trials in absentia.
Referring to the killing of journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya in October 2022, Afridi said Sharif had been forced to leave Pakistan due to lack of justice and security, yet was not spared even abroad.
Warning the legal fraternity, Afridi said the “oppression and fascism” faced by PTI today could confront lawyers tomorrow as well. He lamented being repeatedly denied permission to meet Imran Khan at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, despite court orders from three Islamabad High Court judges.
“The jail superintendent threw those orders in the trash,” Afridi claimed, adding that Imran Khan was “fighting our war in jail” while alleging selective accountability in Toshakhana-related cases.
The chief minister also rejected the idea of a military operation to counter rising militancy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying people across the province believed it was not a solution. “Despite this, preparations for an operation continue. This is not governance; this is hooliganism,” he concluded.
