Afridi opposes proposal to divide Sindh

K-P CM Says ready to even sacrifice his life to ensure integrity of province

KARACHI:

PTI leader and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has said he stands with the people of Sindh on the question of the division of the province and is ready to even sacrifice his life to ensure Sindh's integrity.

Speaking at a lawyers' convention organised by the Sindh High Court Bar Association (SHCBA) on Monday, Afridi said he had seen much concern among the people of Sindh regarding the issue of new provinces.

"I announce that I stand with the people of Sindh against this division. If blood has to be shed for this cause, my blood will be the first to be shed," he said.

Afridi, who is on a visit to Sindh in connection with the PTI's scheduled September 27 protest movement, arrived in Karachi in the early hours of Monday as his convoy faced many hurdles and roadblocks during its movement from Hyderabad to the port city.

The CM thanked the people of Sindh for the welcome accorded to him during his visit. He said that while PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had welcomed them through a social media post, barriers were erected in their way. The PPP rules over Sindh province.

"I apologise to the people of Sindh and Karachi. Roads were closed because of me and people faced difficulties. There are hardly proper roads in Sindh, and even those that exist were closed," he said.

Referring to a statement by the Punjab chief minister, Maryam Nawaz, that she had no fear of India, Afridi said, "Baji [Maryam] has fear of Sindh and Balochistan."

He said he came from a small place and that only Imran Khan could have made a middle-class person like him a leader. "I have neither billions in my account nor have I come to make money," he said.

Afridi alleged that another constitutional amendment was being prepared after the 26th and 27th amendments. "They changed the Constitution to facilitate themselves. Even the decisions of Supreme Court judges were thrown into the dustbin," he said.

Inviting lawyers to participate in the PTI's September 27 protest, Afridi said he did not want them merely to come to Karachi's Liberty Chowk but asked them to shut down the country's economic hub for a week.

He claimed that Imran Khan could come out of prison in a single day if he agreed to a deal, but said the PTI founder was refusing to do so.

Addressing the gathering, PTI's Salman Akram Raja said lawyers would remain loyal to their profession and resist what he described as the erosion of justice and judicial independence.

"Today, has justice remained in the assemblies? The spirit of the judiciary has been taken away from this country. Today, justice has been made a crime in the judiciary," he said.

"We have to fight firmly against this crime. We will raise our voice, we will come out on the streets, but we will not bow down," he added.

Karachi Bar Association President Amir Nawaz said the issue of Sindh's division was currently under discussion and referred to a recent statement by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi that new provinces would be created "under all circumstances."

"I will only say that Allah does not like arrogance at all," Nawaz said.

He warned that the lawyers had already issued a letter and would respond strongly if Naqvi made any further statement regarding the division of Sindh.