Business Recorder
RAWALPINDI: A visibly perturbed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Tuesday said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has exhausted all legal options and is now left with no option but to resort to peaceful protests to press its demands, top of which is the immediate release of ex-premier Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi. Talking to reporters after reaching near Adiala Jail to express solidarity with the sisters of Khan, who reached Adiala Jail to meet their brother, Afridi made it crystal clear: when courts stop functioning, people are left with no option but to seek justice through protests. “When courts in the country are paralysed, the only option left for the public is protest. The nation has already seen on November 26 that innocent citizens were fired upon,” he said, adding that similar incidents had occurred in Muridke against peaceful protesters and during another demonstration against the United States to express solidarity with Iran in Islamabad, Skardu, Karachi, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). He accused the government of being “blood thirsty”, saying the installed regime can go to any extent to perpetuate its illegitimate rule. He said there is no room for any mistake with the PTI, and it will proceed carefully under the current circumstances to achieve its legal and constitutional objectives. “We have no option except holding a peaceful protest, and we will adopt this path,” he declared. The chief minister said that Pakistan is currently facing a myriad of issues, but instead of resolving the issues, the rulers are busy preventing meetings between Khan and his sisters. Afiridi lambasted the government for denying the former prime minister treatment at a hospital of his choice despite a severe infection in his right eye. He warned that any attempt to crush PTI through these tactics is not going to work, adding that the party will continue its struggle for the restoration of people’s right to govern in the country. He said that the country’s economy is collapsing, youths are leaving the country, but the rulers are as silent spectators, which reflects how serious they are about the future of the country. Earlier, the chief minister arrived along with provincial minister Meena Khan Afridi, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister Shafi Jan, and other party leaders. They joined a sit-in staged by Imran Khan’s sisters Aleema Khan, Dr Uzma Khan, and Noreen Khan, along with a large number of PTI workers at the Gorakhpur checkpoint. PTI Secretary General Barrister Saman Akram Raja, PTI provincial president Junaid Akbar, MNA Atif Khan, and other party parliamentarians also participated in the protest. However, as in previous instances, the legal team and Khan’s sisters were not allowed to meet the PTI founding Chairman at Adiala Jail. Participants of the sit-in chanted slogans demanding Imran Khan’s release, his wife’s release, and immediate medical treatment for him, while also raising slogans against the government. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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