Lahore, December 27, 2025: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Saturday called on members of the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) to stand with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers in the party’s planned “street movement,” saying preparations were underway on the instructions of party founder Imran Khan.
Afridi, who is on a three-day visit to Lahore, addressed the LHCBA a day after meeting PTI supporters at various points en route to the city. He criticised the Punjab government’s treatment of PTI leaders and workers, saying, “You have seen how the false Punjab government has been treating us, their guests.”
Referring to recent legal developments, the KP chief minister said courts had been rendered ineffective, recalling the 27th Constitutional Amendment. He alleged that despite orders from three Islamabad High Court judges allowing him to meet Imran Khan, a jail superintendent disregarded those directives.
Calling on lawyers to support an independent judiciary, Afridi said the Constitution guaranteed the right to assembly and protest. “Imran Khan sahab has issued orders to begin preparations for the street movement. This is a huge responsibility,” he said, urging the legal community to stand with PTI workers in what he described as a struggle for “true freedom.”
Earlier in the day, Afridi visited the families of jailed PTI leaders after being denied permission to meet them at Kot Lakhpat jail. He met the families of Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Dr Yasmin Rashid and other incarcerated leaders, describing their detention as “wrongful confinement” and praising their resolve despite health issues and alleged oppression.
Addressing media outside Qureshi’s residence, Afridi said the purpose of his Lahore visit was to meet party leaders, adding that the KP government had formally written to the Punjab authorities for permission to meet imprisoned leaders but received no response. He criticised the Punjab government’s attitude, calling it “low mentality.”
Speaking later, Afridi dismissed claims that PTI had lost its footing in Punjab and challenged the PML-N—without naming it—to a show of strength. He proposed that both parties hold rallies in each other’s provinces. “They can select a ground of their choice. Let’s see who brings more people,” he said, offering to even provide transport for his rivals if needed.
On prospects of dialogue with the federal government, Afridi said Imran Khan had assigned the responsibility for talks or protest to the opposition alliance Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayin-i-Pakistan (TTAP). While supporting TTAP’s efforts, he said he had been directed to take preparations for a street movement “to their peak.”
Afridi also visited the residences of PTI leaders Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudhry and Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed, and plans further visits to other party leaders and activists, including the family of PTI worker Ali Bilal, also known as Zille Shah, who died during a protest in 2023.
The KP chief minister’s first day in Lahore on Friday was marked by tensions, including altercations with security officials and road blockades that prevented him from addressing a gathering at Liberty Roundabout. Addressing PTI lawmakers at the Punjab Assembly, Afridi alleged harassment and arrests of PTI workers by Punjab Police at multiple locations, calling the actions condemnable.
In remarks to the media, Afridi said he was in Lahore to launch a mass movement on Imran Khan’s instructions. “We will take Imran Khan’s ‘Haqeeqi Azadi’ movement to its logical conclusion, restore constitutional supremacy, and revive an independent judiciary and media,” he said.
