K-P CM Sohail Afridi reaffirms PTI’s October 4 march plans

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has reiterated his support for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) plan for an October 4 march saying the party intends to continue its campaign for constitutional supremacy rule of law and an independent judiciary.

PESHAWAR: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has reiterated his support for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) plan for an October 4 march saying the party intends to continue its campaign for constitutional supremacy rule of law and an independent judiciary.

In a post on social media platform X, Afridi described PTI as Pakistan’s largest and most popular political party and said the planned demonstration would begin at Gandi Chowk in Lakki Marwat. He argued that Pakistan’s Constitution guarantees citizens the right to peaceful protest and maintained that PTI’s demands fall within the constitutional and legal framework.

According to Afridi, the October 4 demonstration will continue until the party’s stated demands concerning the Constitution law and judicial independence are addressed.

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The K-P chief minister also made several allegations about the security situation in the province. He claimed that terrorism had increased in K-P following what he referred to as a change in the political regime and argued that counterterrorism policies needed to be reconsidered.

Afridi said terrorism was a direct concern for residents rather than simply a political or media narrative. He referred to PTI founder Imran Khan’s previously stated opposition to military operations that displace local populations arguing that drone strikes and civilian casualties could contribute to further instability.

He further claimed that opposition to such policies was shared by political and religious groups across K-P and said these positions had been documented through a provincial assembly jirga.

The chief minister also questioned why security conditions had not improved despite federal and provincial authorities being politically aligned in Balochistan. He raised questions about the supply of weapons to provincial police and alleged that security-related decisions had contributed to unrest.

Afridi also referred to the events of May 9 saying PTI would not permit a repeat of those incidents. He additionally claimed that the removal of CCTV footage was connected to responsibility for the May 9 events.

Meanwhile, government representative Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry warned that Afridi’s statements could complicate efforts to resolve the political deadlock through negotiations.

Chaudhry said the government wanted the dialogue with the opposition to produce meaningful results but urged PTI leaders to avoid statements that could weaken the talks before they reached their conclusion.

He also criticized what he described as inappropriate language used by Afridi toward political opponents and government leaders calling on the K-P chief minister to exercise greater restraint.

The exchange comes as representatives from the government and opposition prepare to continue consultations aimed at addressing their political differences.