Noor Fatima Afzal, Daily Dawn, Dawn TV Report
Lahore: Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sohail Afridi has challenged Maryam Nawaz to hold a rally in KP and has said that Maryam Nawaz will hold a rally in KP, and I will hold a rally in Punjab. Let’s see whose call the people come out more.
While talking to senior journalists, anchor persons, digital media representatives, bureau chiefs of various TV channels and Noreen Niazi on the third day of his visit to Lahore, he invited Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to come to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The Chief Minister said that Maryam Nawaz should come to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where she will be told how the office of the Chief Minister is welcomed and respected in a democratic and civilized manner.
The Chief Minister also gave an open challenge to Maryam Nawaz to hold a rally in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and said that if the Punjab government claims that people do not come out on Imran Khan’s call, then he will give Maryam Nawaz a week to prepare. After a week of preparation, Maryam Nawaz should come to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and hold a rally there and show it, while on the contrary, he himself will hold a rally in Punjab, after which it will be clear who calls the people to come out in larger numbers.
He said that in the last general elections, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf had won 180 seats from Punjab, which is clear proof that the people of Punjab had trusted the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, and they came out on Imran Khan’s call and are ready to come out even today.
The Chief Minister said that those who have illegally taken over the government, that is, the government formed through Form 47, had no connection with the people. These people have become completely disconnected from the people.
The Chief Minister said that he was deeply surprised after coming to Punjab and seeing the ground realities firsthand. The kind of harshness, coercion and abuses being perpetrated by the Punjab government are unprecedented in the history of Pakistan. It feels as if the current Punjab government has now implemented the black law system of the past in Punjab, under which collective accountability is being carried out, houses are being raided, windows are being broken, people are being harassed and an atmosphere of fear and panic is being created.
Sohail Afridi said that hundreds of workers had been arrested before he reached Lahore. Wherever he went, the workers faced severe difficulties. Roads were constantly blocked during their movement, which also caused difficulties for the people. This kind of behavior towards the elected Chief Minister of a province is extremely worrying because it goes against democratic traditions and reflects an authoritarian mindset.
He warned that this approach is taking matters in a serious direction that is not good for the future of the country.
Speaking about military operations, the Chief Minister gave a clear message that so far, about 22 major military operations and about 22,000 intelligence-based operations have been carried out, but till date, neither terrorism has been eradicated, nor peace has been established; rather, terrorism is increasing day by day. The collateral damage caused during these operations further promotes terrorism and provides an opportunity for extremist elements to flourish, who are still present in almost the same number as before. Therefore, the nation should be told that despite so many military operations, so many losses, and the sacrifice of so many precious lives, what have these operations achieved? If these operations have not yielded the desired results and so many lives have been lost, it clearly means that there is a need to change the policy.
The Chief Minister also clarified the alternative path to eliminate terrorism and said that no decision can be effective without taking all the relevant stakeholders into confidence. It is essential to include the provincial government, tribal elders, scholars, and all other stakeholders of the society in this process, because it is very important to take those who are directly going through these situations on board. A clear policy made through consultation will not only be workable but will also have public support behind it. On the contrary, decisions made in closed rooms have always harmed the country and the nation.
He said that the provincial government had organized a grand jirga in the provincial assembly some time ago, in which all political parties belonging to the province, religious representatives, tribal elders, and all other stakeholders participated. As a result of this jirga, a 15-point declaration was unanimously issued, which clearly stated that military operations are not a solution to any problem.
The Chief Minister said that the stance which was earlier only of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, has now become the unanimous stance of all political parties, all scholars and all stakeholders of the province. The Chief Minister also requested and hoped from the journalists of Punjab that if the coverage and publicity of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf is being stopped by a fascist government, then at least the media of Punjab must raise its voice against the oppression and oppression being inflicted on the people of Punjab.
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