ALPURI: Leaders of various political parties and several local organisations on Tuesday strongly criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) over its protest strategy, particularly the blocking of motorways and highways across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The leaders of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Awami National Party (ANP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) and several other political groups argued that since the PTI itself was in power in the province, there was no justification for blocking roads and creating hardships for the people.
They maintained that if the PTI leadership was genuinely serious about securing the release and medical treatment of its leader Imran Khan, it should stage protests in Islamabad, where key decisions were made rather than troubling the people of the province.
According to political figures, the closure of motorways, the Grand Trunk (GT) Road and other major highways had significantly disrupted travel, with journeys that normally took two hours now stretching to six to eight hours.
Patients, elderly citizens, students, employees and overseas travellers were facing severe difficulties while the movement of ambulances and emergency cases had also been badly affected.
They alleged that the provincial PTI leadership was effectively holding the public hostage in the name of protest, adding that its actions suggested a lack of seriousness regarding its leader’s release. “If they lack the courage to protest in Islamabad, why punish the people?” the leaders questioned.
The opposition also said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was already grappling with numerous challenges due to what they described as 13 years of ineffective governance, including insecurity, militancy, unemployment and poor health and education services.
