Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Sunday slammed the Sindh government for allegedly obstructing a planned rally at Bagh-e-Jinnah and vowed to continue a “street movement” aimed at spreading Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s message nationwide.
In a brief address to a rally at Karachi’s Numaish Chowrangi, he accused the Sindh government of imposing similar administrative restrictions on the PTI as witnessed in Punjab.
The rally, initially slated to commence around 2 p.m., began around 8 p.m., with Afridi reaching the venue late and briefly addressing a crowd of around 20,000 people before dispersing. The PTI has blamed the delay on confusion arising from the Sindh government issuing a delayed non-objection certificate (NOC) for the rally and then preventing organizers from setting up the venue.
In his speech, Afridi alleged the Sindh government had treated the PTI “unfairly” and thanked the public for overcoming all obstacles to ensure the gathering’s success. He said he would continue his “street movement” in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, adding the public outpouring in Karachi had “proven” the nation still stood with Khan.
The chief minister, in a direct criticism of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)’s Sindh government, said the “so-called champions of democracy” stood “exposed.” He said they had disrespected Sindhi cultural symbols such as the ajrak and Sindhi cap, which were presented to him by provincial minister Saeed Ghani upon his arrival to Karachi on Friday. He said the PPP had established a “dictatorship” in Sindh.
Afridi maintained the public is ready to “move to D-Chowk” and is merely awaiting Imran Khan’s call.
Clashes
Prior to Afridi’s address, several clashes broke out between party workers and Sindh police, with reports that over 30 PTI activists were taken into custody. Police also sought to disperse the crowd with tear-gas shells.
According to the PTI, Afridi’s visit commenced positively, with the Sindh government facilitating him and his entourage. However, it claimed, the provincial government had subsequently placed obstacles during his journey from Hyderabad to Karachi. “We were deliberately pushed onto deserted roads on our way back from Hyderabad to Karachi,” he alleged in a video statement.
The Sindh government has rejected this, maintaining Afridi was extended full cooperation and hospitality.