TTAP pushes K-P CM to defer Lahore visit
Efforts are underway to persuade the PTI leadership to ask Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to postpone or cancel his Lahore visit, as according to PTI Punjab and TTAP leaders, his arrival could trigger a government crackdown on party and allied leadership in the province and cast uncertainty over TTAP's May 1 Labour Day event.
TTAP spokesperson Akhunzada Hussain claimed that the K-P CM's announcement to visit Lahore on May 1 stemmed from confusion and miscommunication during a recent PTI rally in Mardan.
This account was also confirmed by other PTI leaders in Punjab, who said the plan came as a surprise to them, as no one expected the chief minister's visit to coincide with the TTAP event.
The PTI leadership meeting was scheduled for 9 o'clock on Wednesday, where the K-P CM's planned Lahore visit and TTAP's concerns were to be discussed. However, no progress had been reported at the time of filing this report.
According to the TTAP, following the announcement of the K-P CM's May 1 Lahore visit, PTI General Secretary Salman Akram Raja contacted the alliance to explain that a message he had attempted to convey to the chief minister during the Mardan rally was misinterpreted, leading to confusion that made it appear as though the CM himself had announced the visit.
It was further revealed that TTAP will urge PTI to either cancel or reschedule the trip, citing concerns that the K-P CM's arrival could trigger a crackdown on party leaders by the PML-Nled Punjab government.
Hussain talking to The Express Tribune said that PTI has indeed cleared the confusion Sohail Afridi's announcement had created. He said the Lahore event is being organised by the Haqooq-e-Khalq Party and PTI office-bearer Shayan Bashir. When asked about the K-P CM's participation, he said that if the chief minister still wished to proceed with his plan, he should do so a day after the TTAP event. PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram told The Express Tribune that the party will announce its position on the matter after a leadership meeting.