Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Wednesday announced the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has directed its parliamentarians to stage a peaceful protest outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC) every Tuesday over delays in the hearing of cases against incarcerated party founder Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra.
“After the peaceful protest outside the Islamabad High Court until 1 p.m., lawmakers will march on Adiala Jail along with [Imran Khan’s] sisters and sit outside the jail,” he said during a ceremony in Peshawar marking the anniversary of the party’s Nov. 26, 2024 protest. He urged PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, accompanying him on stage, to ensure the presence of all PTI lawmakers outside the IHC every Tuesday.
In his address, the chief minister urged the gathered party workers to ensure their elected representatives participated in the planned protest. “We’ll shame absent lawmakers afterward,” he said, adding anyone who won in the name of the incarcerated former prime minister would protest to ensure justice for their leader.
Afridi assured the crowd that he would personally visit Adiala Jail every Thursday until he was granted a chance to meet Khan. He also announced that the PTI would stage a political gathering in Peshawar on Dec. 7.
Nov. 26
During his address, the chief minister said Nov. 26 was a “painful” day for the PTI, alleging its workers were fired upon, wounded, or martyred at D-Chowk in Islamabad. He also alleged that last month police had staged a similar assault on workers of the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) in Muridke. “It is a message for the entire country as powers-that-be do not want anyone to raise voice for rights. They do not want the supremacy of the Constitution, restoration of an independent judiciary and media,” he said, claiming Khan had been behind bars for 850 days for demanding the people’s rights.
He warned that “certain” people wanted the PTI to violate the law to justify a crackdown, adding that would not happen. He claimed PTI workers had remained peaceful during the May 9, 2023 riots and the Nov. 26 protest, adding they would remain peaceful in the future as well.