HYDERABAD: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Saturday evening reached Hyderabad city for a day-long trip to mobilise the public for a nationwide street movement . After arriving in the city, Afridi addressed PTI supporters and workers at Khurshid Chowk. CM Afridi arrived in Karachi yesterday on a four-day visit to garner momentum in the lead up to the planned February 8 protests , which would mark two years since the general elections that the opposition claims were rigged. Earlier today, CM Afridi was welcomed by Sindh United Party (SUP) President Syed Zain Shah upon his arrival at the G.M. Syed Edifice. Addressing the welcome event, CM Afridi said the politics of President Asif Ali Zardari has “ended” the politics of PPP’s Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and his daughter Benazir Bhutto. “Now, there is Zardari’s control over Sindh,” he said. Afridi was responding to SUP’s Shah, who had mentioned the KP CM’s remarks from Friday, in which he praised the PPP for “keeping the democratic traditions” of Bhutto and Benazir alive. He said Shah had misconstrued his remarks about PPP’s rule in Sindh. CM Afridi also claimed that Bagh-i-Jinnah — the venue for the PTI’s Karachi gathering that the Sindh government says can be held — has been “locked”. Regardless, the PTI leader urged the public to gather there tomorrow. The chief minister slammed the PPP, which he said was once the “flag-bearer of the Constitution”, for changing the basic fabric of the Constitution through the 26th and 27th Amendments. “Whenever Imran Khan issues a call for a street movement, we hope that you will support us,” Afridi said. “The name is Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi. Remember it,” he said, taking a jibe at those who were “scared” of his name. He further quipped that “every chowk is D-chowk” when supporters raised slogans of Islamabad’s renowned D-Chowk. CM Afridi stressed that PTI founder Imran Khan’s struggle was for the “supremacy of the Constitution and the law, true democracy, rule of law, free media and the restoration of an independent judiciary”. “God willing, we will not sit calmly unless we fulfil this heartfelt desire of Imran Khan,” he vowed. PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said Sindh had been deprived of its resources and added that “powerful quarters” have usurped provinces‘ resources. He said Sindh has the first right to use its gas over any other part of the country, adding that no one could snatch the province’s water. Raja pointed out that the PTI supported Sindh’s stance on the six canals issue . He maintained that PTI was not there for “politics of power” and therefore, it would not strike a deal. Sindh United Party (SUP) President Syed Zain Shah addresses an event held by his party in Jamshoro on Jan 10, 2026. — Umair Ali Rajput In his speech, the SUP president came down hard on the PPP, accusing it of selling Sindh’s resources in lieu of power. Shah said that for the last 79 years, either “military rule or puppet civilian rulers have ruled the country”. He said a “fake government” was installed not only in the 2024 elections but in 2022 as well, when Imran was ousted. He demanded fresh and transparent elections and the release of all political prisoners, including Imran and Yasmin Rashid. In a post on Facebook, the SUP demanded the release of “all political prisoners, including Imran Khan, Ali Wazir, Mahrang Baloch, and Moro [incident’s] prisoners“. At around 2pm, the PTI shared a video , saying CM Afridi and his convoy had reached Jamshoro. Another video showed him raising slogans of “Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi”. Hours earlier, the PTI’s KP chapter stated on X that the SUP was ready to welcome Afridi, with a stage set. PTI Sindh President Haleem Adil Sheikh told reporters that Jamshoro district’s Kotri city was also among the party caravan’s stops. In a post earlier in the day, the PTI shared a video of PTI Hyderabad Youth Wing’s “enthusiastic” members chanting slogans as they stood prepared to welcome the KP CM at the Hyderabad Insaf House. In a post on X, the PTI detailed the KP CM’s itinerary for his trip to Hyderabad, where he is set to address the local press club, attend the Insaf Students Federation’s convention and participate in “street movement activities”. The party agenda also listed an address to the High Court Bar Association (HCBA) in Hyderabad, though the lawyers’ body claimed it had never granted permission for Afridi to visit or address the bar. The bar association’s general secretary had invited the KP CM in a letter dated Jan 7. However, in a press release issued on Jan 8, the HCBA clarified that its executive committee had rejected the application by a clear majority. It said the general secretary issued the letter in his personal capacity and used the bar’s letterhead without consent. Departure from Karachi “[We] have departed from Karachi for Hyderabad,” announced Sheikh shortly after 12pm. “God willing, Hyderabad will also come out on the streets massively like Karachi,” Sheikh said, hailing the massive public response received by CM Afridi in the metropolis a day earlier. Speaking to the media before departing, CM Afridi said, “We were extremely happy with the way we were welcomed in different districts of Karachi and the passion and spirit we saw in the public. We thank everyone.” Referring to his planned public gathering at Mazar-i-Quaid in Karachi on Sunday, the chief minister said the people of Karachi had “another big responsibility”. “We have to make this jalsa successful under all circumstances and send a message to the world that Karachi was Imran Khan’s, is Imran Khan’s, and, God willing, will remain Imran Khan’s,” he stressed. “Toward Hyderabad for street movement [ sic ],” said KP Local Government Minister Meena Khan Afridi on X, sharing a picture with CM Afridi, Sheikh and Raja. Sheikh also shared a video showing people showering petals on Afridi in a “splendid welcome” at Karachi’s Toll Plaza. We are patriots of Pakistan: Salman Akram Earlier on Saturday, Sheikh and Raja, along with others , gathered at Karachi‘s Hassan Square to record a statement as they began their journey to join CM Afridi’s convoy. Umer Dar , the brother of Usman Dar who quit the party in the wake of the May 9 riots, was among those present . Raja said: “Dear citizens of Sindh, we are present on your land today. I am standing opposite Karachi’s Hassan Square. As you know, a grand jalsa is being organised at 4:30pm tomorrow at Bagh-i-Jinnah under the shadow of Mazar-i-Quaid. “We have come before you with Imran Khan’s message. This is a message of freedom […], of defending the water of Sindh’s farmers,” he said. The PTI secretary general urged the public to attend the powershow and collectively raise their voice against the imprisonment of PTI leaders and the “violation of their privacy”. “We have to tell the oppressor that ‘we are alive, you cannot erase us’,” he said, calling the PTI and its founder “Pakistan’s future”. “We are the patriots of Pakistan, we are the sons of Sindh, we are the guardians of Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber Paktunkhwa, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan,“ he said. Plan ahead A schedule shared by the PTI on X lists CM Afridi’s planned activities for Sunday, including the Mazar-i-Quaid gathering and a meeting with the All City Tajir Ittehad Association in Karachi. The schedule stated that Afridi would meet Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah on Monday (Jan 12) morning. Sindh Local Government Nasir Hussain Shah said in a statement that the authorities had decided to allow the rally at Mazar-i-Quaid. On the other hand, a notification issued by the Korangi deputy commissioner’s office on January 8 cited “great traffic congestion” and consequent “public inconvenience” as the reasons to deny permission to hold a gathering in Qayyumabad. Last month, CM Afridi’s visit to Lahore — also undertaken for mass mobilisation — was marked with difficulties. Subsequently, he had written a letter to Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz complaining about the treatment meted out to him during his visit.