Chief Minister Sohail Afridi addresses massive street movement gathering in Mirpurkhas
Staff Reporter
Mirpurkhas: Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muhammad Sohail Afridi, addressing a large gathering at the Street Movement rally in Mirpurkhas, said that the Punjab Chief Minister’s characterization of the people of Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan as terrorists is an attempt to divide Pakistan.
He said that while the Punjab Chief Minister described India as a friend and expressed no objection to India, she had raised objections against Pakistan’s own neighbouring provinces. Such statements by an imposed leadership, were aimed at creating divisions among the people of Pakistan. “If they attempt to divide us, we will stand firmly against them,” the Chief Minister said, adding that the people would not allow efforts to weaken national unity to succeed. He said the ruling elite were pushing the people towards poverty, deprivation and hunger, while their interests remained fundamentally at odds with those of the public. “How can it be acceptable to have a budget of Rs3.3 trillion while our people are denied development, schools, colleges and hospitals?” he asked.
The Chief Minister said the growing public response to the Street Movement was generating significant political pressure across the country’s major urban centres. “Along with Karachi, the people of Islamabad and Rawalpindi have also been losing sleep; wherever you look, there is a sea of people,” he said.
He described 27 September as a critical day for the future of the people, saying that the gathering in Mirpurkhas had assembled in preparation for the long march on that date. Referring to the political leadership’s response to imprisonment, Sohail Afridi said, “Whenever these people were sent to jail, they resorted to deals. This time, however, they have come up against a leader who stands his ground.”
He said those who believed that Imran Khan would break under imprisonment had miscalculated. Despite what he described as sustained pressure, including nine months in isolation, the imprisonment of his wife and the targeting of his relatives, Imran Khan, remains steadfast in his commitment to the people.
The Chief Minister said that three judges of the Islamabad High Court had permitted him to meet Imran Khan, while three judges of the Supreme Court had ruled that Imran Khan should receive treatment at Shifa International Hospital. He maintained that the ruling authorities were sending a clear message that the judiciary and judges were subject to their authority. “These fascist rulers are sending a clear message to the judiciary that judges and the judiciary are at the tip of their boots,” he said. Sohail Afridi said Imran Khan understood that he could not expect justice from the existing judicial system and was therefore looking towards Pakistan’s youth and people. He called upon the public to participate in the 27 September long march, saying that leaders of Imran Khan’s stature emerged only once in a century. “If transport is available, use it to reach Islamabad; if not, come on motorcycles, bicycles or on foot,” he said.
The Chief Minister said he was prepared to make any personal sacrifice in the cause. “If I have to make a sacrifice, it does not matter. Even if hundreds of Sohail Afridis are sacrificed, it makes no difference. But we cannot afford to lose Imran Khan,” he said.
He urged the people to remain politically engaged, warning that continued passivity would allow corrupt and oppressive rulers to continue exploiting the country. Sohail Afridi said the cycle of dynastic rule could no longer continue.
The Chief Minister said he came from a middle-class background and called upon ordinary citizens to step forward and assume responsibility for determining the country’s political leadership.
“We cannot remain slaves to these corrupt and oppressive people,” he said. He said genuine freedom required active participation by the people and declared that policies contrary to the public interest would be resisted. Turning again to attempts to create divisions between Pakistan’s provinces, Sohail Afridi said that the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Gilgit-Baltistan, Balochistan and Punjab would not accept efforts to pit one province against another. He said the people would stand united against any attempt to weaken Pakistan’s cohesion.
The Chief Minister also criticised those who had brought the present rulers to power, recalling the controversies surrounding Dawn Leaks and the Memogate scandal, as well as the use of the floor of Parliament to malign state institutions. He said public resentment extended not only to the current rulers but also to those who had brought them into power.“No one is prepared to walk with them.
The people will decide their own future and choose their own leadership,” he said. Concluding his address, Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi turned towards Karachi and said:“Karachi, are you ready? Tomorrow, we are coming your way.”
