The Sindh government on Saturday allowed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to hold a public rally at Bagh-e-Jinnah, issuing a no-objection certificate (NOC) with conditions, as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi vowed to press ahead with a nationwide street movement under the leadership of jailed party supremo Imran Khan, undeterred by resistance faced elsewhere.
According to officials, the NOC was issued by the deputy commissioner East. Senior Sindh Minister for Information Sharjeel Inam Memon said in a statement that PTI’s rally would be held on Sunday (today) at Bagh-e-Jinnah Ground.
He said the NOC had been issued subject to conditions, under which the organisers would bear full responsibility for maintaining law and order.
He said no provocative speeches, materials or sectarian discourse would be allowed, nor would any speech against Pakistan or state institutions be permitted.
Maintaining smooth traffic flow during the rally would be the responsibility of the organisers. The programme would have to conclude before the stipulated time, and the district administration would retain the authority to cancel permission on security grounds.
The approval comes weeks after Afridi took his street drive to Lahore, where PTI leaders complained of hurdles, restrictions and the denial of permission to hold a public rally, an experience the chief minister later cited as emblematic of shrinking political space.
Meanwhile, addressing political gatherings in Sindh, CM Afridi said that the nationwide struggle for “real freedom” under Imran Khan’s leadership was continuing with full momentum, aimed at safeguarding a free media, an independent judiciary and the supremacy of the Constitution and the rule of law.
He said the movement would continue until Imran Khan’s vision for national sovereignty, public welfare and constitutional supremacy was realised, adding that preparations for a street movement were underway and that every conscious and patriotic citizen would be approached to join the struggle.
He said whenever Imran Khan gave the call, the public would respond in full strength.
The chief minister was speaking at a reception hosted by Syed Zain Shah, chairman of the Sindh United Party, during his visit to Jamshoro, where he thanked party workers and supporters for the warm welcome.
He said it was encouraging that the Sindh United Party was actively engaged in the struggle for the fundamental rights of the people of Sindh, which he described as essential for strengthening democratic values.
‘Zardari has ended Bhutto legacy’
Commenting on Sindh’s political situation, Afridi said Asif Ali Zardari had effectively ended the political legacy of Benazir Bhutto and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and that Sindh was now under Zardari’s control.
He said it was regrettable that a party claiming to defend the Constitution and the 18th Amendment had altered the constitutional structure through the 26th and 27th Amendments, which he said had undermined democratic principles.
He said that despite the locking of the gates of Jinnah Garden, a public rally would be held and a clear message would be sent that Sindh belonged to Imran Khan and would continue to do so.
Earlier in Karachi, Afridi addressed PTI workers in Qayyumabad and Korangi, and later spoke to the media before leaving for Hyderabad. He said the large turnouts and enthusiastic response across Karachi showed that Imran Khan remained the country’s most popular political leader, adding that claims about the end of Imran’s political role were being disproved by the streets, markets and public gatherings of the city.
He announced that a major rally would be held on Sunday at Jinnah Ground, calling one of the largest public gatherings in Karachi’s history.
He said that on a single call from the unjustly imprisoned Imran Khan, people were ready to take to the streets, and that the response showed Karachi was fully prepared for the movement.
Drawing historical parallels, Afridi said transformation would not come through the return of figures such as Muhammad bin Qasim or Tariq bin Ziyad, but by cultivating courage, determination and resolve within the people themselves.
He said the concept of “burning the boats” symbolised eliminating all options of retreat and advancing with full commitment in the struggle for constitutional supremacy. He added that the street movement would not remain confined to one city, but would spread across Pakistan, with every city becoming a D-Chowk.
Earlier speaking to the media while departing for Hyderabad, the chief minister said an NOC for holding a rally near Mazar-e-Quaid had not yet been issued, though he said the Sindh government had shown a positive attitude.
He contrasted this with the earlier conduct of the Punjab government, which he said was still clearly remembered.
He said Imran Khan had entrusted him with organising preparations for the street movement, which was expected to intensify in the coming days. He added that the decision on whether to pursue protest or negotiations would be made by Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Aain Pakistan (TTAP) and would be fully endorsed.
He said the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had expressed confidence in PTI for a third time, and in response, welfare initiatives such as free health coverage had been extended across the province.
He also said engagements would be held with K-P residents living in Sindh to listen to their concerns, which would be taken up directly with the Sindh chief minister to ensure their legitimate issues were addressed.
Sindh being treated like stepchild
Reminding Sindh of K-P’s repeated support for the former’s rights over the Indus River, Afridi also urged the people of Sindh to fight the case for his province, which he believed is being meted out a “step-motherly treatment” by the Centre.
Addressing the party’s workers, lawyers and the press in Hyderabad and Jamshoro, Afridi also asked the supporters to gear up for PTI’s street movement, which will be called soon against the incumbent government.
“Even the institutions which have a role to play in strengthening democracy are treating K-P like a stepmother.”
The talk of rights for K-P and the tribal areas dominated the speeches as well as questions and answers of Afridi with the press, as compared to the mention of the PTI’s leader and ex-PM Imran Khan.
Nevertheless, he kept regretting the country’s judicial system for denying freedom from incarceration to his leader. “Imran Khan can be freed in 30 minutes if the judiciary independently gives its orders.” The CM reiterated his party’s and his provincial government’s rejection of the military operation in the K-P and the tribal areas.
He argued that Khan’s strong stance while pursuing true democracy, supremacy of law and constitution, restoration of free judiciary, and free media should not be considered his obstinacy. He believed that the country’s people should rather struggle to attain the same objectives.
Afridi told the lawyers that his party felt distressed when they witnessed that neither the lawyers nor the judges were reacting strongly against the 26th and the 27th constitutional amendments, which he believed had deprived the judiciary of its authority. “But the time isn’t lost as more amendments are on the way to enfeeble the law and the constitution.”
He urged the lawyers to lead a movement for the supremacy of the law and the constitution.
‘PPP deformed constitution’s fundamental structure’
He blamed the PPP for deforming the very fundamental structure of the constitution by lending its support for the 26th constitutional amendment. He lamented that the armed forces treat him as an outcast, pointing out that chief ministers of other provinces are offered planes of the Air Force for their travels and even “to bring their breakfasts”, but he is denied the same treatment.
Afridi reminded the centre that he represented 45 million people of his province and that his individual self should not be made a subject of controversy. The CM reiterated his government stance for being denied a fair share in the National Finance Commission (NFC) award as an additional allocation for the former tribal areas which have now been made a part of the K-P is still not being allocated.
He also deplored that the federal government lacked interest in the infrastructure development in K-P, pointing out that the northern bypass road in Peshawar, whose construction started in 2010 at a cost of Rs3 billion, is still not complete.
The CM maintained that due to the centre’s failure to contribute its share for the project, its cost has escalated over tenfold to Rs31billion.
Responding to a question about the DG ISPR Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry’s statement about a nexus in K-P with terrorists, the CM said he strongly rejected that stance with condemnation. He recalled that a 15-point agenda for the centre prepared by a conglomeration of political and religious parties in K-P had also underlined that the military operation did not provide a solution to the problem.
He went on to accuse the centre of reneging on its pledges to compensate the displaced people of the tribal areas undergoing the army operation. Afridi said the people were evicted from Baka Khel in Bannu district with a promise of compensation by the centre.
However, he claimed, his provincial government has ended up paying Rs7.5 billion to the displaced people because the federal government did not honour its commitment.
He said the people have been deprived of their rights over their natural resources.
Shah, meanwhile, said they reject all the constitutional amendments enacted since 2022. He asserted that TTAP wanted to protect the country’s constitution. He claimed that thousands of lives have been lost to see Sindh existing as an autonomous province in the country, but the struggle still continued.
With input from Karachi Correspondent
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