Sohail Afridi says KP govt chose peaceful protest after exhausting constitutional avenues

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi said the provincial government had opted for a peaceful protest after exhausting all constitutional, legal and democratic avenues, as he addressed participants of the long march.

Afridi thanked the people of Kohat for their participation and said that after becoming chief minister, he had approached every relevant forum to seek a meeting with Imran Khan.

He said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly had also passed a resolution, but the meeting could not take place.

Afridi said the demand for Imran Khan’s medical treatment and a meeting with him was not unconstitutional.

He said the position of the provincial government was that if the relevant cases were heard in court, Imran Khan could obtain relief.

The chief minister said the objective of the long march was to present the demands peacefully.

He said a draft of the demands had been released on social media and added that if any point in it was proven to be illegal or unconstitutional, the long march would be called off.

Afridi said that despite military operations and other measures over the years, the issue of terrorism had not been resolved.

He claimed that peace could be established within 100 days through implementation of his policy.

The chief minister said the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had made immense sacrifices in the fight against terrorism and stressed that the interests of the Pashtun people should be kept in mind in matters concerning the province.

Afridi also announced a change in the route of the long march, saying it would now proceed to Khyber first before moving towards Peshawar.

He urged party workers and participants to remain peaceful during the protest.

Afridi also said reports regarding Imran Khan’s health were a cause for concern.

He warned that if any harm came to Imran Khan, the prison administration, the prime minister and other relevant officials would be held accountable.