Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has vowed to stop any new military operation in the Pakistani province, as a protest march he is leading to demand the release of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan reached Khyber district on Wednesday.
Addressing supporters of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in Khyber, Afridi said he would resist what he called anti-people policies for as long as he was chief minister. He alleged that during recent talks with the federal government, attempts were made to get his provincial government to sign up to another military operation, and said he would never become part of such a policy. According to the Pakistani outlet Nukta, he said his endorsement had been sought in exchange for assurances about Khan's health and medical treatment in prison.
Afridi said residents of Tirah had been displaced in bitter winter weather, referring to families who left their homes in December 2025 to make way for an operation against militants. He said his government had released 21 billion rupees for families affected by military operations and would present an alternative security plan aimed at restoring peace within 100 days.
The march set off on 4 October from Lakki Marwat and Karak, passed through Kohat and reached the outskirts of Peshawar on Tuesday night. It is due back in Peshawar on Thursday and is expected to spend the night in Charsadda before moving towards Swabi, where Afridi says he will announce the next steps. The PTI has earlier named Islamabad as its final destination, while the federal government has warned against any gatherings in the capital.
BBC Pashto reported that a meeting of the provincial cabinet had also been called for Wednesday.
Source: Dawn, Nukta, BBC Pashto
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to comment.