Islamabad/Lahore, December 26,2025: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was travelling from Peshawar to Lahore on Friday as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) prepared to launch a fresh street movement in Punjab.
The party has announced a public gathering at Liberty Roundabout in Lahore later today as part of its renewed protest campaign. According to an update posted on PTI’s official X (formerly Twitter) account at 2:24pm, the KP chief minister had reached Bhera in Punjab by that time.
Earlier, PTI Punjab Chief Organiser Aliya Hamza Malik said that CM Afridi, along with members of his cabinet and provincial assembly, would make their first stop in Punjab at Bhera en route to Lahore. She had called upon ticket-holders and party office-bearers from the Sargodha and Mandi Bahauddin divisions to welcome the chief minister at the location.
Meanwhile, an update shared by PTI’s Central Punjab account at 1pm said that CM Afridi’s convoy had reached Chakri after passing through what the party described as “police blockades”. Another post claimed that a heavy police presence had been deployed at the site.
Sharing a video from Chakri Interchange, PTI alleged that law enforcement officials attempted to block the convoy’s movement. The footage showed PTI supporters engaging with police personnel at the interchange.
Separately, PTI Members of the Provincial Assembly (MPAs) from Punjab have gathered at the Punjab Assembly to welcome and meet the KP chief minister.
The party also alleged that police arrested a large number of PTI leaders and workers during overnight raids on Thursday. In a video message, PTI MPA Farrukh Javed Moon claimed that “hundreds of party workers” were picked up by police.
“The Punjab government is so scared that police began raids late Thursday night,” Moon alleged, adding that the provincial government should instead act democratically and welcome the KP chief minister.
On Thursday, CM Afridi had said that PTI would launch a street movement “with full force” in line with the directives of the party’s founder, Imran Khan.
Aliya Hamza Malik also reiterated that the party would follow Khan’s directions to initiate a “mass protest movement” in Punjab, the country’s most populous province. She termed the mobilisation a “historic moment” and said Lahore’s main boulevard would be transformed into a march demanding the release of Imran Khan.
The PTI Punjab chief organiser urged all ticket-holders, office-bearers, workers, and lawyers from the Lahore division to ensure their presence at Liberty Roundabout to welcome CM Afridi.
