SWABI: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leaders on Friday said the party’s street movement scheduled across Swabi district on Saturday (today) would serve as a vote of no confidence against what they termed the hybrid federal government and its policies, adding that all arrangements for the gatherings had been completed.
Addressing a press conference, former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser along with party parliamentarians and senior leaders said the prevailing situation was conducive to holding protest rallies against what he described as a government formed through a stolen mandate. He said the tactics adopted by the government had become unbearable.
Flanked by party leaders, Asad Qaiser alleged that the government had blatantly violated democratic norms. He said that despite repeated efforts, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister and other senior leaders were not allowed to meet PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan, incarcerated at Adiala Jail.
Speaking about the street movement and the chief minister’s visit, he said Swabi was fully prepared for the protest and that party leaders and workers were enthusiastic about participating in the movement in support of their jailed leader.
He further claimed that Imran Khan had been taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Islamabad, a few days back for an eye check-up, but his family members and party leaders were still being denied access to him to ascertain his health. “We cannot rely on the statements issued by the hybrid federal information minister and other government figures,” he added.
Qaiser said Chief Minister Sohail Afridi would begin his Swabi visit from Ismailia and then proceed to Shewa Adda, the headquarters of Razar tehsil, where he would address a public gathering at 11am.
From Shewa Adda, the chief minister would lead a rally on Swabi-Mardan Road and would reach Karnal Sher Khan Chowk in Swabi city, where he is scheduled to address participants at 2pm.
The chief minister would then depart for Tehsil Topi and address party workers there at 3pm. His final address is scheduled at Anbar, Swabi Interchange at 4pm.
ANP RALLY: Sardar Hussain Babak, central secretary of Awami National Party (ANP) on international affairs, has said here on Friday that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leaders including Chief Minister Sohail Afridi should abandon policy of saying one thing and doing another about Tirah operation.
He was addressing a gathering in Maneri Payyan Village organised in the honour of various families who quit different political parties and announced to join the ANP.
Sardar Babak said that PTI leaders were misleading the masses, saying they were kept in dark by the federal government about the Tirah operation but actually they were on board.
He said that the biggest problem of PTI was that it paid very little attention to the interests of the people of the province or the welfare of the masses and all their attention were focused on release of former prime minister Imran Khan.
The ANP leaders said that it was highly unfortunate that a critical issue like terrorism had been ignored by the PTI.
Published in Dawn, January 31st, 2026