KP CM Sohail Afridi visits families of jailed senior PTI leaders in Lahore

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Saturday visited the families of jailed senior PTI leaders Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Dr Yasmin Rashid, who are incarcerated at Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail. CM Afridi, who was due to launch the PTI’s street movement from Lahore, had spent Friday greeting and addressing PTI supporters, who met him at different points en route to the city. In a post on social media platform X at around 11am on Saturday, PTI’s Naeem Haider Panjutha said Afridi’s “Lahore tour had begun” and they were heading to Qureshi’s house first. Around 20 minutes later, he posted that the party convoy was now on its way to Rashid‘s residence. In a separate post, Panjutha said the PTI leaders would also visit Ejaz Chaudhry’s family, attend high court conventions and “then everyone will take to the streets”. At 12pm, the PTI’s official X account said the chief minister had met with the family members of Rashid. The party also shared photos from the meeting. According to Panjutha, the KP CM was not able to visit former governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema’s house as it was located in a cantonment and “permission was not being given to enter”. Afridi’s convoy had entered Lahore around 4:30pm on Friday, from where he made a beeline for the Punjab Assembly. The visit to the provincial legislature was marred by altercations between members of his entourage and security officials, while several heated exchanges between PTI leaders and journalists were also witnessed. Although the KP CM managed to reach Liberty Roundabout last night, he was unable to deliver a planned speech at the venue as a heavy contingent of police had blocked all roads leading to the area by setting up pickets. More to follow