Key Takeaways
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi arrived in Karachi after a six-hour journey.
- PTI changed the venue of its rally from Mazar-i-Quaid to the Karachi Toll Plaza.
- Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab said PTI is free to hold a rally if it follows the law.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi arrived in Karachi after a six-hour journey, navigating blockades and other obstacles set by the government to hinder his arrival.
The convoy reached the Karachi Toll Plaza in the early hours of Monday, where a crowd of PTI supporters, including women and children, welcomed them with fireworks and slogans.
Before leaving Hyderabad for Karachi on Sunday evening, CM Afridi had accused the Sindh government of creating hurdles and vowed to hold a rally in Karachi to demand the hospitalisation and release of ex-premier Imran Khan.
The PTI had to change the venue of its planned rally from Mazar-i-Quaid to the Karachi Toll Plaza to ensure that the leadership and workers could reach the gathering.
PTI’s Sindh chapter spokesperson Muhammad Ali Baloch alleged that containers, vehicles, and other barriers had been placed along the route leading to Mazar-i-Quaid and at several locations at the Kotri bridge.
Karachi’s District East police stated that no public gatherings, rallies, or processions would be allowed around Mazar-i-Quaid.
Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, also a spokesman for the Sindh government, rejected the allegations that the arrangements were specifically aimed at PTI and said the party was free to come to the metropolitan city provided it followed the law.
He warned that 'no one should take the law into their own hands' and noted that the administration routinely makes security and traffic arrangements whenever a large political gathering takes place.
Despite the challenges, CM Afridi and his party leaders, including PTI Sindh president Haleem Adil Sheikh, arrived at the Karachi Toll Plaza to continue their campaign.
If we cannot reach Karachi today, God willing, we will hold the rally tomorrow; if not tomorrow, then the day after. I will not take a single step out of Sindh without launching a street movement in Karachi. I will stay here until the objective is achieved.
Sohail Afridi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister
