Peshawar, December 7,2025: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Sunday said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) does not believe in confrontation, urging party supporters to “fly high instead of fighting crows.”
Addressing a large public gathering at Hayatabad Sports Complex, he criticised federal ministers for holding what he called “political circus-style press conferences” against PTI founder Imran Khan. He also took aim at a government institution’s director general, accusing him of using inappropriate language against the provincial leadership.
PTI leaders Asad Qaiser, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar and others also addressed the rally, while the party announced another public meeting next Sunday in Kohat.
Afridi said whatever respect he had received in politics was because of the PTI founder.
“I voted for PTI from 2013 to 2024 and helped sweep Peshawar. I announce Rs100 billion for Peshawar, along with a 100-bed hospital and new underpasses,” he added.
Responding to allegations of poor governance in KP, the chief minister said, “If KP had no governance, the people would not have elected us for a third time. They say we aren’t serious — if we aren’t serious, neither are you. You keep conducting operation after operation, drone after drone; if your policy isn’t working, change it. What is our fault?”
Referring to an IMF report, he vowed that “not a single rupee out of Rs5.3 trillion in corruption” would be allowed to be stolen.
Afridi said KP was a province, not a “laboratory for experiments,” adding that elders, political leaders and parliamentarians would jointly determine policy.
“Political juveniles accuse us of only talking about the founder chairman. When my name surfaced for chief minister, I was targeted with baseless allegations,” he added.
Reiterating his message, he said, “We will not fight crows — we will soar high. PTI does not believe in confrontation. We follow the Constitution and law. A fake senator and a DG are not the same thing. We are tribal people; we love Pakistan and its institutions. We sacrificed over 80,000 lives for this country.”
Addressing the gathering, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, head of Tehreek Tahafuz-e-Aeen Pakistan, said the “final phase of the struggle between truth and falsehood has begun,” adding that the ruling elite had lost composure due to the opposition movement.
“According to the Constitution, anyone who violates it is a security risk,” he said, “We must end this war-driven mindset. Afghans are our brothers; we are one chain. Those speaking for the Constitution and rule of law are being imprisoned.”
Achakzai called for a national conference including judges, generals, religious scholars and politicians.
“In that conference, we must forgive each other and save the country. Pakistan must be a state where we are free and where the Constitution reigns supreme,” he said, warning that instead of dialogue, the opposition was being threatened with governor’s rule.
Former National Assembly speaker and senior PTI leader Asad Qaiser said the rally proved once again that Peshawar and KP remained the stronghold of Imran Khan.
“If they think they can bend Imran Khan or his companions through force or pressure, they are delusional,” he said.
He alleged that the right to vote had been “practically stolen” from Pakistanis, “A party with just 17 seats was handed the government. Powerful quarters want to take away the people’s right to choose their rulers,” he said.
Qaiser added that Nawaz Sharif had previously lost to senior PTI leader Yasmin Rashid, “Now a group with 17 seats is making laws for the country. The people of Pakistan will not accept this constitutional violation.”
Allama Nasir Abbas said Pakistan was passing through a more sensitive phase than 1971, “The mandate in the general elections was stolen to bring thieves and robbers into power. Imran Khan was jailed so the people would forget him — but we will not,” he said.
“Their press conferences show they are breaking from within. We must rid ourselves of these mental patients. We want Pakistan to be a free and sovereign country.”
PTI leader Junaid Akbar said attempts to intimidate the party had failed, “Look around — are people afraid? The narrative being created will be thrown back in their faces. Our mandate and our symbol were snatched, yet we still chanted ‘Pakistan Zindabad,’ stood with the state, the army and the institutions,” he added.
Senior leaders from PTI and Tehreek Tahafuz-e-Aeen Pakistan addressed the gathering, which saw participation from workers across Peshawar and other districts.
Strict security arrangements were made on all routes leading to Hayatabad for the event.
