MANSEHRA: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mohammad Sohail Afridi on Wednesday said he would not accept or follow any leadership except that of Imran Khan.
“I have been trying to bring all political leaders, including Mahmood Khan Achakzai, to the table to devise a joint strategy for the release of Imran Khan. However, I want to make it clear that I will only act on the directives of my incarcerated leader,” he said while addressing a public gathering here.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) provincial president Junaid Akbar Khan, deputy president Kamal Saleem Swati, and MPAs Munir Hussain Lughmani and Akramullah Ghazi were also present.
Amid cheers from the crowd, Afridi said that the PTI founding chairman had directed him to hold talks with opposition leader, Mehmood Khan Achakzai, to finalise a strategy for a protest in Islamabad.
“I belong to the middle class, and the establishment does not want me to succeed. However, I want to make it clear that I have spent 20 years promoting Imran Khan’s philosophy and will not hesitate to sacrifice even my life for his dignity and honour, and am even ready to relinquish the chief minister’s slot,” he said.
The chief minister said he was neither a terrorist nor a smuggler, adding that a conspiracy was being hatched to remove him from power. “I am proud to be a loyal soldier of Imran Khan and will leave no stone unturned for his release, despite propaganda labelling me a terrorist or smuggler,” Afridi said.
He said the party had already approached the high courts and the Supreme Court, as well as legislative assemblies from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Punjab, for Imran Khan’s release. “Now, we will move towards the federal capital after evolving a joint strategy to secure his release,” he added.
Afridi said the province had been turned into a “testing ground,” resulting in heavy losses of lives, including civilians and law enforcement personnel. “We informed the authorities that militants were descending from the mountains and later reaching cities, but the federal government did not heed our concerns. Now innocent people and security personnel are being martyred,” he said.
The chief minister warned that if decisions were made without consulting the KP government and its people, they would not support military operations as a final option to combat militancy and terrorism. Junaid Akbar Khan and PTI deputy president Kamal Saleem Swati also addressed the gathering, saying they had never worked for positions or money but for the cause of Imran Khan, and would continue their struggle for his release.
Participants at the rally chanted slogans demanding the release of PTI’s founding chairman. Earlier, the chief minister announced development projects worth Rs200 billion, including an Rs18 billion gravity-based water supply scheme and Rs180 million for the graveyard. He also announced the establishment of a medical college, the creation of Tanawal tehsil, and several health, education, and recreational projects, including facilities at Kotkay Dam.
