Afridi bristles after Punjab puts brakes on activities

LAHORE:

The PML-N-led Punjab government appeared to pull out all the stops to deny the PTI any political spectacle during Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi's visit to Lahore, as his first day in the city was overshadowed by a series of unsettling developments.

Bemoaning the distasteful events on his first day in the provincial capital, Afridi aired his complaint over mistreatment by the Punjab police.

Responding to a question, he said he had encountered only misbehaviour and disrespect in Punjab, but maintained that through his own conduct he would teach the Punjab government respect and manners.

The K-P chief minister arrived in Lahore on Friday for a three-day visit and, despite the impediments, went ahead with a packed political schedule. He spent an eventful day in the provincial capital, visiting the residences of party leaders and holding meetings with PTI parliamentarians and office-bearers at the Punjab Assembly.

Towards the end of the day, Afridi also went to Liberty Roundabout, which remains a site of symbolic importance for the PTI, long considered the nerve centre of its political activity in Lahore.

Anticipating the visit, the Punjab police had already made arrangements to prevent PTI workers from reaching the area. Afridi and his delegation also faced what appeared to be a visibly hostile media presence at the Punjab Assembly, where the atmosphere suggested an attempt to provoke a scene.

Earlier, the K-P chief minister had entered Lahore with a large convoy comprising more than 60 vehicles at different points.

The convoy entered the city via Babu Sabu and moved towards Thokar Niaz Baig but was intercepted by police at Chakri, apparently to prevent it from gathering momentum.

Reacting to the situation, Afridi alleged that PTI workers were harassed at several locations, including Chakri and Bhera, and were prevented from joining the convoy.

He termed the circumstances "undemocratic" and likened them to "martial law–like conditions".

Upon entering Lahore, Afridi said his vehicles were stopped at various city interchanges and accused the Punjab government of creating unnecessary friction between provinces.

"Such actions only increase hatred between provinces," he said, while adding that the people of Punjab had nonetheless given him a warm and enthusiastic welcome.

Addressing broader political issues, the KP chief minister rejected claims that the PTI's founding chairman was a national threat, calling him instead a "symbol of national unity".

He accused the ruling coalition of large-scale corruption and criticised the sale of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), alleging that it was sold at a price lower than the value of luxury vehicles.

Later in the day, Afridi visited the residences of PTI leaders Nadeem Abbas Bara and lawyer Haider Majeed in Lahore. During these movements, police erected temporary barriers and intermittently stopped vehicles accompanying the convoy, causing several cars to be separated from the main protocol.

At the Punjab Assembly, security officials restricted entry, allowing only individuals whose names were included on pre-approved lists.

PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja was initially stopped but later permitted entry, while Shaukat Basra was denied access altogether. These restrictions sparked heated exchanges between opposition members and assembly security staff.

Inside the assembly, Opposition Leader Moeen Qureshi and several opposition MPAs - including Farrukh Javed Moon, Brigadier (retd) Mushtaq, Imtiaz Sheikh, Nadia Kharral and Seemabia Tahir - received the K-P chief minister.

Tensions later escalated into scuffles between security personnel accompanying the K-P chief minister and Punjab Assembly security staff as a large number of people entered the premises, disrupting order.

Addressing the media at the assembly, Afridi said he was in Lahore to meet party leaders and parliamentarians and would remain in the city until Sunday.

He said police not only misbehaved with him at Chakri but that party leaders and workers were harassed, several arrested and rounded up.

"Fascism and injustice was on full display in Punjab," he said, adding that the treatment meted out to PTI leaders during the visit reflected what the people of Punjab had been facing "day in and day out" for the past three years.

Referring to a press conference by the security establishment, Afridi said those who had brought the PML-N to power on the promise of economic revival must now confront the country's economic reality.

"Our GDP went from 6.2 per cent to sub-3 per cent, debt has shot up to manifold, industrial growth was in negative - in fact industries were exiting Pakistan," he said.

Referring to the prime minister's speech, the K-P chief minister said that "who promised to sell his clothes, sold PIA".He claimed that 30 million young Pakistanis had already left the country for greener pastures, while another 30 million were desperately trying to leave.

"If today people are given the option, every embassy would have twenty million people line outside their door," he said, adding that people were deeply worried about their safety and finances.

'Fascist government'

He warned that those responsible for the current situation must realise that "imposing closed-door decisions have consequences".

He further alleged that the "fascist government's" sole focus was crushing the PTI - preventing it from holding rallies and blocking meetings with its "lifelong chairman" Imran Khan.

The K-P chief minister was also pursued by a journalist during his exit, who appeared to be seeking to provoke further drama.

It is pertinent to mention that, according to city crime reporters, hundreds of PTI workers were rounded up by police ahead of the K-P chief minister's arrival.

Police were also said to be strategically keeping people away from Afridi so that his presence would not turn into a rally.