By Our Correspondent
KARAK: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Monday resumed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) protest march, addressing party supporters in Karak before his convoy set off towards Kohat.
The PTI-led opposition has continued its march despite warnings from the federal government that gatherings in Islamabad would not be allowed. The protest is primarily aimed at demanding the release of PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan, who remains in jail.
The decision to proceed with the march came after weekend negotiations between the government and opposition ended without an agreement. Differences over access to Imran Khan and, particularly, the federal government’s counterterrorism policy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa emerged as major obstacles.
Addressing supporters at Jail Chowk in Karak, Afridi once again criticised the Centre’s approach to counterterrorism and questioned previous military operations and drone strikes in the province.
He also responded to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s criticism a day earlier, when the minister had described him as “immature.”
Referring to remarks by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz regarding the terrorism threat to Punjab, Afridi questioned whether it would be considered mature for a provincial leader to deny threats from one side while blaming other provinces.
Ahead of the march, authorities imposed restrictions on movement in several KP districts, including Dera Ismail Khan, Upper and Lower South Waziristan, Tank and Hangu, under Section 144 for varying periods.
Meanwhile, former KP chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur, who was leading PTI workers from Dera Ismail Khan towards Lakki Marwat, turned back from Yarik after encountering road blockades and amid concerns over the law-and-order situation.
Gandapur said Section 144 had been imposed in the area for three days and stressed that PTI leadership had instructed workers not to damage public property or engage in activities that could further deteriorate the situation.
He maintained, however, that the decision to turn back should not be interpreted as an end to the protest, describing it as a temporary measure.
In Karachi, PTI’s planned protest activities were also disrupted after police were deployed at several locations, roads were blocked and party workers and leaders were detained.
PTI claimed that more than 75 of its workers and leaders, including women, were detained from different parts of Karachi. The party further alleged that arrests in other areas of Sindh, including Sukkur, had pushed the total number of detained PTI workers across the province to more than 100.
The PTI march is continuing amid heightened political tensions following the collapse of talks between the government and opposition, with both sides maintaining their positions over Imran Khan’s access and the counterterrorism strategy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.