Sept 27 to be decisive test of people’s mandate, says KP CM

LAHORE
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi on Monday said September 27 would be a decisive test of whether political decisions in Pakistan were made on the basis of the people’s vote and genuine mandate or through “rigging and coercion”, as he urged the people to join the planned long march for the supremacy of the Constitution and law.
The chief minister, who was visiting Lahore, also met the family of veteran Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) worker Ishtiaq Ahmad, who, according to the PTI, was killed during a Punjab Police operation. He offered Fateha for the deceased and expressed solidarity with the bereaved family.
Mr Afridi strongly condemned the alleged treatment of the PTI worker, describing it as deplorable, condemnable and unacceptable. He assured the family of all possible assistance and support.
Provincial Information Minister Shafi Jan and other PTI leaders accompanied the chief minister.
Later, Mr Afridi led a Street Movement rally in Lahore as part of preparations for the September 27 long march. PTI workers and supporters of former prime minister Imran Khan welcomed him at various points along the route and raised slogans in support of the party and its movement.
Addressing workers at Do Moriya Bridge, the chief minister said he had told the Punjab Police that he did not want security from those whom he accused of being responsible for the death of PTI worker Ishtiaq Ahmad.
“I do not need security from those who martyred our worker,” he said, adding that the Punjab Police should return to their police stations as, according to him, people in Punjab had lost confidence in the police and their uniform.
Afridi alleged that the Punjab Police had blocked routes at various locations during the Street Movement, harassed workers and created hurdles to prevent people from joining the rally. He claimed that despite the restrictions, large numbers of people came out in Lahore to express support for the movement.
He urged the Punjab Police not to create obstacles or inconvenience people participating in his movement.
“I am a chief minister of the people and I am happy to remain among the people,” he said.
The KP chief minister also rejected Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s reported claim that she faced threats from other provinces. Mr Afridi said he had no threat from the people of Punjab, whom he described as his brothers and sisters.
“The people of Punjab are my people, Punjab is mine, I am one of the people of Punjab, and I have no threat from anyone,” he said, adding that all citizens were Pakistanis and their identity was Pakistan.
Mr Afridi alleged that the Punjab government lacked a genuine public mandate and said the people of Punjab had rejected what he called the “fake chief minister”.
He maintained that a government without a genuine mandate could not claim to represent the people.
The chief minister said the September 27 call was not merely a political activity but a decisive moment for the future of the country. He called upon people to come out in support of what he described as their genuine democratic mandate, independence of the judiciary, freedom of the media, supremacy of the Constitution and law, and an end to what he termed a system of oppression and coercion.
“This is not the time to remain silent; it is the time to stand up for our rights,” he said.
Mr Afridi said September 27 would demonstrate whether decisions in Pakistan would be made on the basis of the people’s vote and genuine mandate or through what he described as rigging and coercion.
He said the PTI’s struggle for “Haqeeqi Azadi” (true freedom) had entered a decisive phase.