PESHAWAR: Special assistant to the chief minister for information and public relations Shafi Jan on Sunday termed the wheel-jam and shutter-down strike across the country successful and a referendum against those who stole PTI’s mandate in 2024 general elections.

He said that people gave an overwhelming mandate to the founder Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan two years ago, but unfortunately, the mandate was stolen; read an official statement issued from his office.

The chief minister’s special assistant said that Sunday’s successful wheel-jam and shutter-down strike was a clear public message to the ‘fake’ governments, adding that party workers, from across the province, took out historic rallies and held peaceful protests.

Mr Jan said that the true prime minister elected by the people, Mr Khan, had been imprisoned in illegal and fabricated cases, yet he lived in the hearts of the people. He thanked the trader community and transporters for the successful shutter-down and wheel-jam strike.

He termed the official celebration of Basant in Punjab as regrettable and said that holding Basant despite a terrorist incident in Islamabad reflected the Punjab government’s insensitivity, alleging the chief minister imposed on the Punjab used public resources for personal publicity under the guise of Basant.

“Public tax money was recklessly wasted in the name of Basant, which is an irresponsible act, especially at a time when the country is facing terrorism and serious economic challenges,” the statement quoted Mr Jan as saying.

Published in Dawn, February 9th, 2026