Afridi opposes military operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — Dawn

In Charsadda, Pakistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi again opposed conducting any military operations in the region. He made the statement on October 10 during a week-long PTI march aimed at securing the release of the party’s imprisoned founder Imran Khan, Dawn reports.

At a rally at the Farooq-i-Azam intersection, Afridi said he would not make decisions under pressure or threats. According to him, he was asked to sign a certain document, but he refused, and he will not compromise his principles under pressure.

Differences with the federal authorities

Pakistan’s federal government and the PTI-led government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have different approaches to combating terrorism. This issue became one of the reasons for the breakdown of talks between the federal authorities and the opposition on October 3; the government blamed Afridi for this.

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The provincial government head said his position on national security and Kashmir is unequivocal. He also claimed that attempts were made to persuade him to agree to certain decisions amid, as he put it, preparations for a possible military operation. Afridi also mentioned threats to impose governor’s rule or a state of emergency in the province.

The march remains in the province

The PTI march began on October 4. Initially, the party said it intended to move toward Islamabad, but participants currently remain in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where PTI is in power. The final route after October 11 had not yet been determined.

Afridi said he would announce the next plan of action on October 13 at the Swabi interchange. Under the plan he released, columns from Peshawar, Malakand and the Kohat division are to arrive in Swabi on October 13, while participants from Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan and the Hazara region are to arrive on October 14. He said he intended to move beyond Swabi after that.