Afridi offers to quit politics over PTI-PML-N rally

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has challenged the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to hold a public rally in Punjab and compare its turnout with that of a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) gathering.

Speaking in Lahore on Thursday, Afridi said the PML-N could choose the city, date and time for its rally, while PTI would select a city for its own event. He said the only condition should be that both parties receive an equal and level playing field.

Afridi said he would quit politics if the PML-N managed to attract a larger crowd than PTI. He said the proposed comparison would provide an opportunity to assess the parties’ popularity through public participation.

He further said that if PTI drew a larger crowd, the PML-N would have to respond to questions about its public mandate, political strategy, treatment of political workers, governance and performance in Punjab.

The KP chief minister also said the PML-N should apologise to the people and reconsider its political approach and leadership if it failed to match PTI’s turnout.

Afridi argued that the popularity of political parties should not be determined only through statements, media appearances or official figures. Instead, he said, public rallies could provide a direct indication of support among the people.

He described the performance of the Punjab government, led by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, as a major political test for the PML-N. According to Afridi, the proposed rallies would allow voters to express their views through their participation.

Referring to the February 8 general elections, Afridi claimed that voters in Punjab had given PTI a two-thirds majority. He said PTI was prepared to accept the outcome of any future public turnout comparison conducted under equal conditions.