Afridi's Karachi rally hit by road closures, delays

KARACHI/HYDERABAD:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi's planned address at a PTI rally in Karachi was thrown into uncertainty on Sunday as authorities blocked several key arteries, causing massive traffic disruption across the city and delaying his arrival.

Afridi's caravan left Hyderabad before sunset but encountered roadblocks also on its way to Karachi.

The Hyderabad bypass was blocked, prompting the convoy to change course towards Kotri Bridge over the Indus. The bridge was also blocked by private vehicles, although PTI workers managed to clear the route. The caravan had yet to reach the M9 Motorway toll plaza in Jamshoro by 10pm.

In Karachi, police closed or restricted traffic on several major roads following the announcement of Afridi's expected arrival and the PTI rally. Containers and buses were used to block roads at various points, while PTI workers and police engaged in clashes and confrontations at some locations.

The closures caused severe traffic congestion in several parts of the city.

Long queues were reported on the track from Al-Asif Square towards Shahrah-e-Pakistan as well as in the opposite direction. Shaheed-e-Millat Road, Rashid Minhas Road, MA Jinnah Road and Super Highway were also affected, leaving commuters stranded for hours.

Traffic police said personnel had been deployed at various points and were trying to maintain the flow of traffic, while advising citizens to use alternative routes.

At Karachi's Numaish Chowrangi, PTI workers gathered as police attempted to prevent the congregation. Police said a constable was injured after protesters hurled stones. Sources said police resorted to shelling following the incident, dispersing the protesters and detaining five PTI workers.

A police spokesperson said security around the Quaid-i-Azam's mausoleum had been tightened owing to security concerns and that no rally or procession would be allowed in its vicinity. Additional police contingents were deployed and monitoring of entry and exit points was intensified.

Call for Sept 27 march

Sunday marked the fourth day of Afridi's mobilisation campaign in Sindh ahead of the PTI's planned September 27 long march on Islamabad, which the party says is aimed at securing the release of its founding chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan.

Afridi began his day in Umerkot, where he addressed a public meeting at around 2am. His caravan subsequently passed through Mirpurkhas and Tando Allahyar before entering Hyderabad.

Despite dug-up and blocked roads along the route, the caravan reached Tandojam toll plaza and Fateh Chowk, where Afridi addressed supporters before speaking at the PTI's central rally at Haider Chowk.

He urged supporters to maintain the enthusiasm demonstrated during the four-day mobilisation campaign until September 27. Afridi said the decision to hold the long march had been taken after the party exhausted all legal and constitutional remedies.

Referring to Imran Khan's incarceration, he alleged that three Islamabad High Court judges had recently ordered the superintendent of Adiala Jail to allow meetings with the PTI founder, but claimed the jail official ignored the order.

He also referred to the Supreme Court's order last month directing authorities to shift Khan to Al Shifa Trust Hospital, alleging that the order too had not been implemented.

"This wasn't an insult for us, but for the law, the Constitution and the judiciary," Afridi said, arguing that even superior courts had been unable to ensure implementation of their orders.

He said the situation had convinced the PTI that only "public street force" could secure the release of Khan and other party leaders. PTI Secretary General Barrister Salman Akram Raja and PTI Sindh President Haleem Adil Sheikh also addressed the gathering.

Afridi attacks Maryam

Earlier in Hyderabad, Afridi called on Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to apologise to the people of Pakistan over what he described as her "discriminatory" remarks that Punjab faced greater threats from neighbouring provinces than from India.

"Yesterday, the fake CM of Punjab whose party lost all seats even in Lahore said she saw threats from neighbouring provinces and not from the neighbouring country," Afridi said while addressing a PTI street-movement rally in Hyderabad.

He said the Inter-Services Public Relations director general had repeatedly described India as Pakistan's biggest enemy, but alleged that Maryam Nawaz had a different view. "Whom you helped win the elections and for whom you stole the public mandate, they say they feel no threat from India," he said.

Afridi alleged that the Sharif family had business interests in India and claimed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was their friend. He also accused Maryam of labelling people from Sindh, K-P and Balochistan as terrorists.

"For the sake of their vested interests they can get you killed as terrorists; they can open fire on your peaceful protests; and they can sell Pakistan to foreign powers," he alleged.

The K-P chief minister claimed that the Sharif family had remained silent when Pakistan defended itself against Indian aggression and defeated its hostile neighbour in last year's conflict.

Afridi directed most of his criticism over what he described as four decades of bad governance and corruption towards the two major political dynasties of Punjab and Sindh—the Sharifs and the Bhuttos.

He alleged that both families could cause harm to the country and its people to protect their vested interests. Afridi said Pakistan's debt had risen from Rs42 trillion to Rs97 trillion over the past 74 years and argued that the burden would ultimately have to be borne by the people rather than the two political families.