Province Report
PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muhammad Sohail Afridi has said that it is easier for the illegitimate federal government to open fire on unarmed citizens and elected representatives than to allow Imran Khan access to proper medical treatment. Addressing a press conference at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House, he said that he, accompanied by members of his cabinet, parliamentarians and other elected representatives, was travelling to Islamabad to express solidarity with Imran Khan and voice concern over his health. However, before the delegation could reach 26 Number Chungi, the administration had already blocked major highways and access routes, preventing them from proceeding further. The Chief Minister said the road closures were imposed by the administration itself, preventing elected representatives of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from proceeding while simultaneously causing widespread disruption and hours of inconvenience for residents of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Sohail Afridi said that a heavy deployment of Islamabad Police and Anti Terrorism Squad personnel had been stationed at the site and that personnel were seen loading ammunition into their weapons. He stressed that neither he nor his delegation was travelling to participate in a protest, rally or political gathering, but merely to express solidarity with Imran Khan. Despite this, he said, elected representatives were prevented from proceeding and subjected to an alarming and unacceptable display of force. He said the entire world had witnessed images of security personnel being deployed to stop the Chief Minister of a federating unit, members of his cabinet and elected parliamentarians. If such treatment could be meted out to elected representatives, one could only imagine the treatment faced by ordinary citizens. The Chief Minister said that bullets were fired at elected representatives and political workers. He stated that Member of the National Assembly Anwar Taj was arrested while several workers sustained gunshot injuries. Presenting the injured workers before the media, he said that some of them were still undergoing treatment for gunshot wounds sustained during the incident. Despite the violence and use of force, he added, the morale of party workers remained unshaken. Sohail Afridi said , he had told police officers at the scene that such actions were fuelling resentment and damaging national cohesion. He warned that the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were witnessing the treatment being meted out to their elected representatives and cautioned that continued efforts to marginalise the province would have consequences for the federation as a whole. The Chief Minister said it had become easier to open fire on unarmed citizens and elected representatives than to allow a former Prime Minister access to proper medical treatment. He said peaceful political workers were being met with bullets while a legitimate and humanitarian request for the treatment of Imran Khan under the supervision of his personal physicians and in the presence of his family continued to be denied. This contradiction has heightened public concern regarding Imran Khan’s wellbeing. The Chief Minister said the party’s position was straightforward and centred solely on ensuring appropriate medical care for Imran Khan. He called for the former Prime Minister to be examined and treated at Shifa International Hospital under the supervision of his personal physicians and in the presence of his family, describing the request as a matter of basic humanitarian consideration and medical necessity rather than a political concession. He recalled that when political opponents had faced serious health issues in the past, Imran Khan had demonstrated magnanimity and placed humanitarian considerations above political differences. Yet today, he said, even the legitimate medical treatment of a former Prime Minister was being denied. The Chief Minister said that developments surrounding the cipher had ultimately vindicated Imran Khan’s position. He stated that Imran Khan had stood on the right side of history by rejecting external pressure and defending Pakistan’s sovereignty, national dignity and independent decision making through his unequivocal “Absolutely Not” stance. He said Imran Khan’s visit to Russia had been undertaken solely in the national interest, with the objective of securing affordable oil and wheat for the people of Pakistan and providing economic relief to ordinary citizens. He maintained that if submission to external pressure was considered acceptable, then the principle of national sovereignty itself would become meaningless. Pakistan, he said, was founded as a free and self respecting nation and its people would never accept any form of external subjugation. The Chief Minister further stated that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was providing the country with cheap hydropower, natural gas, mineral resources and other natural wealth, yet the province continued to be denied its constitutional and financial rights. He said that while the Punjab government had restricted wheat supplies to the province, the federal government had curtailed gas supplies. He added that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was also being denied its due share under the NFC Award, net hydel profit payments and other financial entitlements. Sohail Afridi said the consequences of regime change were now evident before the entire nation. Instead of prosperity and stability, he said, Pakistan had witnessed inflation, unemployment, economic hardship and institutional decline. He stated that the country’s combined domestic and external debt had exceeded Rs97 trillion while millions of Pakistanis continued to struggle under rising prices and declining purchasing power. He maintained that the current rulers possessed neither a coherent economic vision nor a sustainable economic policy and continued to transfer the burden of every crisis onto ordinary citizens. The Chief Minister expressed concern over the deteriorating state of democratic governance and institutional independence in the country. He said journalists, lawyers, politicians and even judges no longer felt secure, noting that members of the judiciary themselves had publicly complained of interference in judicial affairs. Referring to Imran Khan’s health, Sohail Afridi said the former Prime Minister had spent more than three years in prison without making his health or prison conditions a political issue and without seeking special concessions. However, he said concerns regarding his eye condition had become increasingly serious, causing anxiety among family members, supporters and the wider public. He said Imran Khan remained the hope of millions of Pakistanis and that the nation could not continue to watch him suffer without receiving proper medical treatment. He urged the authorities to demonstrate transparency by immediately transferring Imran Khan to Shifa International Hospital and allowing a comprehensive medical examination and treatment under the supervision of his personal physicians and family members. The Chief Minister said democratic demands could not be answered through force or bullets. “You may fire bullets, but we will present our chests. Your bullets will run out before our resolve does,” he said. He added that the people of Pakistan would not be intimidated by violence, coercion or fascist tactics. The Chief Minister also expressed grave concern over the treatment of Bushra Bibi and Imran Khan’s sisters. He said Bushra Bibi was being unjustly imprisoned in an attempt to pressure Imran Khan, while his sisters were being denied the basic right to meet their brother. He condemned the use of water cannons, shelling and mistreatment against them, describing such actions as unacceptable in any civilised society. He questioned whether the family members of any former Prime Minister in Pakistan’s history had ever been treated in a similar manner. The Chief Minister said the entire world understood the true nature of the cases filed against Imran Khan and maintained that the cases were politically motivated. The Chief Minister announced that if no progress was made regarding Imran Khan’s treatment, his party would adopt a significantly stronger political course of action. He warned that the response in the coming days would be stronger than that witnessed previously. He further announced full support for the protest call issued by Tehreek Tahafuz e Ayeen Pakistan and directed provincial ministers, parliamentarians and party office bearers to lead demonstrations in their respective districts on Friday while ensuring maximum public participation. Addressing party workers and supporters, the Chief Minister said that despite arrests, intimidation and sustained political pressure over the past three years, the people had refused to abandon Imran Khan and would continue their struggle. He said the party’s real strength came from the people and that no amount of force, coercion or state pressure could overcome public resolve. He added that PTI was further activating its organisational structure and that the party leadership would continue to lead from the front at every stage of the movement. Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi said that Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf remained united and would continue its struggle for the release and medical treatment of Imran Khan, constitutional supremacy, democratic governance, protection of fundamental rights and restoration of the public mandate. He said the province wide demonstrations scheduled for Friday would form an important part of that continuing struggle.
