PTI to give 'very big' protest call soon
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Saturday hinted at an imminent large-scale protest call as he addressed a PTI public gathering in Muzaffarabad's Lal Chowk to mark the party's 30th foundation day.
Speaking at the well-attended rally, Afridi announced "a very big protest call is coming soon" and that people from across the country would join in large numbers.
This time, the entire Pakistan will come out, he told the crowd, framing the gathering as preparation for the next phase of PTI's street movement on the directives of party founder Imran Khan.
He urged supporters in Azad Jammu and Kashmir to stay ready. He declared: There is no scope for mistake this time. Are you ready? Be ready!
He criticised the government by saying "You can do shelling. You can destroy Imran Khan's eyes. You can keep him in solitary confinement but expect that we will offer sacrifices for Pakistan. Is this something only the PTI has taken upon itself. He questioned? We will come out. We will protest. He reiterated.
"The Constitution of Pakistan gives us this right. I am risking my entire political future to tell them to respect the Constitution and the vote, but we have tried every legal route.
"The Adiala Jail Superintendent is throwing court orders in the dustbin, and even the Islamabad High Court chief justice doesn't reply to my greetings during Ramazan. These people are not reforming."
Afridi, who was assigned responsibility for mobilising the street campaign in the region, praised the people of Azad Kashmir for their consistent support to Imran Khan. He criticised the "imposed" government in the AJK, accusing it of stealing the public mandate and using undemocratic tactics.
He warned against any attempt to rig upcoming elections in the AJK and vowed that PTI workers would not remain silent in the face of alleged injustices, including the imprisonment of Imran and Bushra Bibi.
The event, organised by PTI Azad Kashmir, featured fiery slogans and chants of "D-Chowk" from the audience. Other leaders, including Salman Akram Raja and local PTI figures like Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi, also addressed the gathering.
The latest wave of mobilisation has intensified amid persistent concerns over Imran Khan's health. PTI leaders, including Afridi, have repeatedly alleged that the former prime minister has not received adequate medical care or family access at Adiala Jail despite court directives and humanitarian appeals.
They have warned that failure to address these issues could lead to stronger nationwide protests.
The Muzaffarabad gathering follows a clear mobilisation roadmap outlined by Afridi. He had initially planned a major rally in Rawalpindi on April 9, but it was cancelled on Imran Khan's instructions due to the prevailing global and regional situation involving foreign delegations in Islamabad.
Afridi then held a large public gathering in Mardan on April 19, where he unveiled the next phase of the street movement. At that event, he declared that the current mobilisation drive would begin in the AJK on April 25 coinciding with PTI's foundation day followed by Lahore on May 1.
After addressing the Lal Chowk rally, Afridi is expected to visit various locations across Kashmir during his three-day visit to meet local PTI leaders and workers as part of the ongoing outreach campaign. During his visit to AJK, he is also scheduled to travel to Neelum Valley.
Punjab PTI in the dark
Uncertainty continues to surround Sohail Afridi's proposed visit to Lahore, with the Punjab chapter of the PTI saying it has yet to receive any formal communication regarding the plan, initially announced for May 1 and later said to be tentatively rescheduled to May 2.
The lack of clarity has left the provincial leadership in the dark over preparations, with some in the party beginning to see the move as more smoke than firea performative gesture seemingly lacking any concrete plan of action. Concerns have also been raised about the likelihood of arrests under the PML-N-led government if the visit goes ahead.
"We do not know if K-P CM would be coming to Lahore or not," a PTI leader in Punjab said.
He revealed that for the leadership in Punjab, this remains a tentative programme, adding that Afridi's presence would obviously trigger mass arrests by the PML-N-led government, so there is little appetite in Punjab for such a visit, especially without any tangible gain.
"Everyone was prepared for more FIRs and even arrests, but not without clarity on what advantage it would bring to the party or to Imran Khan." He added that, in his view, the chief minister's remarks at the Mardan rally may have been made without full consideration.
He said that, in his reading, the chief minister had made a throwaway remark while addressing the Mardan rally, without paying much heed to it at the time. He added that the permission sought for May 2 was merely a formality, as it was widely understood that the government would not grant approval.
The same leader noted that holding a political event on May 2 could trigger arrests across Punjab, while also clashing with a private engagement. He said any such activity on that date could land many party workers in jail.
With the opposition leader's son's wedding also scheduled around those days, the chief minister's visit would create unnecessary complications for himself as well. He added that the TTAP, or some other pretext, could easily be cited to defer the programme.
PTI MPA Ejaz Shafi said the provincial leadership had not been formally informed about the visit.
He noted that, in the absence of official communication, the programme remained tentative. He added that all prior arrangements would be made once formal intimation was received. He maintained that no one in the party feared arrests or FIRs.
PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said the party had yet to take a formal position. "The party hasn't held its leadership meeting in three days, which is why the party has not reached an official position in this regard. Hopefully, on Saturday, they will be holding a meeting to discuss this."
The K-P chief minister had announced his plan to visit Lahore during an April 19 rally in Mardan. The announcement, however, further strained relations with the TTAP, whose leaders protested the lack of consultation and objected to an overlap with their planned event in Lahore on May 1.
According to multiple PTI leaders, the party later assured the TTAP that the chief minister intended to attend the alliance's event before holding his own engagements in the city.
The TTAP has already requested the PTI to ask the K-P chief minister to postpone his visit, citing the heightened risk of mass arrests by the government in a bid to restrict his political activity in Punjab. According to TTAP leaders, they have been assured by the PTI secretary general regarding the matter.