The Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sohail Afridi, has announced that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will hold a rally at Liaquat Bagh on April 9. In this regard, PTI Rawalpindi General Secretary Khan Aqil Khan has formally submitted an application to the authorities, requesting permission to organise the gathering.
According to the application, PTI describes itself as a peaceful and the country’s largest political party, committed to upholding the Constitution and the rule of law. The party maintains that holding a rally in Rawalpindi is its constitutional right and has urged officials to approve.
It is worth mentioning here that during a press conference in Islamabad yesterday, KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi announced the April 9 rally at Liaquat Bagh, saying that people from all over Pakistan, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, would be invited to attend.
Party to hold protest sit-in at location where stopped
He added that it would be a one-day rally, and if a No Objection Certificate (NOC) is not granted, the party will hold a protest at the location where they are stopped.
Sohail Afridi further stated that the party has adopted all democratic, constitutional, and legal means, but no progress has been made. He said that cases are being filed against them, and they are not being allowed to meet the party founder. He added that they are now left with no option but to protest and will do so vigorously within the framework of the law.
He said that he had held three to four meetings with the federal government, during which he presented his own case as well as that of the people. However, according to him, the federal government is not granting him his due rights, and the province’s share in the NFC Award has been distributed unconstitutionally since 2018.
He added that the purpose of these meetings was to highlight the problems faced by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but the government is treating the people as if they were sheep and goats. He further stated that the provincial government has so far spent 15 billion rupees from its own resources.
He maintained that despite the devastating floods last year, the federal government did not provide a single rupee, and cuts are also being made to the provincial budget. Sohail Afridi said that petrol prices are continuously rising and that it is his responsibility to raise his voice for the common man. He also expressed disagreement with the smart lockdown policy.
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