NAWABSHAH: Embol­dened by a big turnout of supporters in a city like Nawabshah, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Secret­ary General Salman Akram Raja on Saturday said that the huge gathering, like similar ones in many other cities over the last three days, effectively posed a challenge to the Pakistan Peoples Party.

They were addressing the crowd of PTI supporters who had thronged Nawabshah from various areas of the Benazirabad district to welcome the party’s convoy.

The KP CM accompanied by PTI’s provincial President Junaid Akber has been on a five-day public mobilisation campaign in Sindh for the party’s Sept 27 nationwide protest for the release of its founder Imran Khan and his immediate medical treatment at the Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad. Other senior PTI leaders, including its Sindh President, Haleem Adil Sheikh, are also part of the whirlwind tour.

CM Afridi acknowledged perseverance of the people, especially women, who endured a long wait for the arrival of the PTI leaders from Naushahro Feroze and other towns, where the latter received warm welcome by their supporters in large numbers.

KP chief minister leads party’s campaign for Sept 27 nationwide protest to Nawabshah

“The fervor for PTI and Imran Khan across Sindh demonstrates a big change in the political dynamics in this province and challenges the traditional political dominance of PPP in the region,” Sohail Afridi said.

He criticised dynastic politics at the federal and provincial levels, asserting that a true leadership emerges from people’s vote, not from the backdoors under certain arrangements.

Commenting on the country’s state of economy, Mr Afridi pointed out that the national debt had surged from Rs43 trillion until PTI’s tenure to over Rs97 trillion now which shows the performance of the current dispensation.

He accused the ruling parties and their leaders of having plundered taxpayers’ money and said the leaders were buying luxury properties abroad for themselves while neglecting even basic amenities for the ordinary people.

Highlighting the treatment being meted out to Imran Khan in his unlawful incarceration, he condemned the government for repeatedly defying even judicial orders to allow him to have proper medical treatment at the Shifa International Hospital.

He urged the masses to demonstrate their support to Imran Khan by joining the September 27 protests across the country. He said the demonstration was also for the release of all political prisoners and withdrawal of false cases against them, besides restoration of a genuine judiciary. The ongoing campaign, he said, would remain steadfast despite all threats and obstacles.

In his speech, Barrister Salman Akram Raja told the crowd that Imran Khan’s struggle was aimed at securing the country’s democratic future and protecting people’s rights.

He urged the masses across Sindh to actively participate in the September 27 protest, saying that it would be a critical turning point in the struggle for the rights of people.

Haleem Adil Sheikh, Sardar Sher Mohammed Rind and other PTI leaders were also present.

Published in Dawn, September 6th, 2026