I am a soldier of Imran Khan, and following in his footsteps, we will enter the field on 27 Sept with a strategy for victory: Afridi
Islamabad
Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muhammad Sohail Afridi has stated that the call for the 27 September Long March was made after careful consideration of all relevant aspects and priorities. He directed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) parliamentarians, office-bearers of all party organisations, and ticket-holders to commence the street movement in their respective constituencies with immediate effect and undertake comprehensive preparations for the 27 September Azadi March.
He described the march as a decisive mobilisation that would change the course of Pakistan’s future. The Chief Minister was addressing a Grand Consultative Conference convened to review preparations for the 27 September Azadi March. Acting PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, former Speaker of the National Assembly Asad Qaiser, and PTI provincial president Junaid Akbar, along with PTI members of the National and Provincial Assemblies, Senators, organisational office-bearers and ticket-holders from across Pakistan, attended the conference. Welcoming the participants, Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said the proposals emerging from the conference would be presented before the Tehreek Tahafuz-e-Ayeen Pakistan, following which the final strategy for the march would be announced in consultation with the alliance.
The Chief Minister urged all participants to remain united and maintain an unwavering focus on their objective. He said certain elements habitually attempt to undermine collective decisions and stressed that such elements should not be given attention. “Remain fully focused on the 27 September call,” he said. Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said conspiratorial elements were driven by their own interests and that their vested interests depended on keeping Imran Khan in prison.
He described social media as the party’s strongest source of strength, saying that the ongoing street movement had demonstrated that the public was welcoming the call for 27 September. The Chief Minister further stated that public anger had intensified following the violation of court orders concerning Imran Khan’s treatment at Shifa Hospital, and that the people were now eagerly awaiting the 27 September march. He expressed the expectation that as many as four million people would take to the streets, while emphasising that unity within the party was the most essential prerequisite for achieving this objective. “If we remain united and keep our focus on our goal, we will certainly succeed,” he said.
Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said that efforts had been continuing for the past three years and that, this time, every individual would have to fulfil their responsibility. “I am a soldier of Imran Khan, and following in his footsteps, we will enter the field on 27 September with a strategy for victory,” he said. The Chief Minister said that 27 September represented an opportunity to change the course of the country’s future and stressed that there would be no room for excuses, negligence or any lapse in performance.
He announced the establishment of a monitoring committee and directed all parliamentarians to initiate the street movement in their respective constituencies. “The entire country is monitoring your activities and bearing witness to them. Begin the movement today and move forward with full preparation,” he said. Addressing the participants, Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said they would have to personally take to the field and should not be deterred by the prospect of arrest.
“If Yasmeen Rashid can be arrested, why should we be afraid of arrest?” he said. The Chief Minister said that when people take to the streets without their leader in the event of arrests, they can bring about a revolution. He added that neither arrests nor the use of force would yield any gains for their opponents. “Insha’Allah, this time the Pakistani nation itself will come out,” he said. Chief Minister Sohail Afridi emphasised the need to pay particular attention to young people and students, stating that the youth were the party’s real strength. “If they mobilise and take to the streets, no one can stop the revolution,” he said.
He further stated that the enthusiasm and determination being demonstrated by the public, particularly the youth, were unprecedented this time. “This time, we will not merely take to the streets on 27 September; if Allah wills, we will return victorious,” Chief Minister Sohail Afridi concluded.
