PTI lashes out at PPP govt for ‘obstructing’ CM Afridi’s Sindh visit

KARACHI: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Wednesday criticized the Sindh government for allegedly obstructing the political activities of its members during Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi's recent five-day visit to Sindh. At a press conference at Insaf House, PTI-Sindh president Haleem Adil Sheikh and senior leader Raja Azhar alleged that Karachi was sealed on September 6, with PTI workers arrested and mistreated, including women workers and relatives of political activists.

Raja Azhar claimed that over 250 PTI workers were arrested during the visit, with violence and harassment reported at police stations. The leaders said the crackdown demonstrated the Sindh government's concern over the public response to CM Afridi, whose five-day visit showcased growing support for the party and its demand for the release of PTI founder Imran Khan.

Sheikh stated that the reception given to CM Afridi from Sindh's border to Karachi was a "clear message" to the PPP leadership, with slogans demanding Imran Khan's release raised in several cities, including large crowds gathering in Nawabshah, Umerkot, Mirpurkhas, and Hyderabad. The PTI leader accused the Sindh government of becoming "rattled" by the response and employing measures to disrupt the delegation's route, such as digging trenches near Mirpurkhas and parking trucks near Tando Allahyar.

PTI also criticized the province's economic and social conditions, stating that petrol prices had increased to around Rs100 per litre and diesel to Rs116 per litre more than the previous year, despite lower international crude oil prices. Sheikh also expressed concern over reported child deaths in Tharparkar, with 61 children dying while undergoing treatment in Mithi last month and 315 deaths recorded at Mithi Tharparkar Hospital over eight months.

The PTI criticized the Sindh government for inadequate healthcare facilities and malfunctioning reverse-osmosis plants, contradicting claims of development. The leaders urged the police to focus on rising street crime rather than political workers and emphasized that the PTI's "peaceful political struggle" would continue until Imran Khan was released.