Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi expressed the resolve on Tuesday to go ahead with the PTI’s planned march to Islamabad on Oct 4, saying that the protesters would reach Swabi in the first phase.
asserted
protesters → express → phase
His assertion comes as the march — which the PTI has announced as part of its nationwide protest to demand the release of its founder, Imran Khan — remains a major bone of contention between the government and the main opposition party, with both taking entrenched positions.
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both → come → positions
The government has even threatened to send the PTI government in KP packing by imposing the governor’s rule or an emergency if its leadership did not withdraw its plan to march on Islamabad.
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leadership → threaten → Islamabad
Afridi, however, sounded defiant while addressing a press conference in Peshawar on Tuesday.
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Afridi → sound → Tuesday
He said the planned protest would be “unmatched in the country’s history”, adding in its first phase, the protesters would reach Swabi, which borders Punjab.
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protesters → say → Punjab
After reaching Swabi, he continued, “we must move forward“.
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we → reach → Swabi
Afridi also warned against any “adventure” and said the “people of KP will protect their mandate as they did during the February 8 general elections”.
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they → warn → elections
The KP CM also accused the ruling PML-N of conspiring to include its workers in PTI ranks to sow chaos.
“We are peaceful and our workers will be unarmed; anyone holding anything in his hand or creating chaos would not be from amongst us,” he said.
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he → accuse → us
Afridi said that there was a chain of command of workers involved in the march and in case of the disappearance of a leader, another person would replace him.
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person → say → him
In response to a question about backdoor contacts with the government, he said that the party leadership might have such contacts, but he had been tasked with the resistance.
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he → say → resistance
Coming back to his criticism of the Centre, he said the federal government had the same counterterrorism policy in KP for the past 22 years and it had been unable to put an end to terrorism.
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it → come → terrorism
Only the province could do this, he added.
uncertain
he → do → this
On Monday, federal ministers slammed the PTI and Afridi for focusing on the party’s planned long march rather than the security challenges that KP was facing.
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KP → slam → that
They highlighted flaws in the KP government’s “leadership” and use of resources to fight terrorism and even presented a white paper on the KP government’s “failure” to equip police with sophisticated weapons.
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They → highlight → weapons
In response, Afridi panned the Centre’s counterterrorism policy.
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Afridi → pan → policy
Meanwhile, calls from federal representatives for imposing governor’s rule or an emergency in KP intensified, with Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar saying that such a move could be made if required.
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move → impose → KP
The minister also cited the security situation in KP in this connection.
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minister → cite → connection
On Tuesday, KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi joined the chorus and said governor’s rule or an emergency could be imposed in the province if lawlessness and political unrest continued to increase.
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lawlessness → join → province
Speaking to journalists in Dera Ismail Khan at the District Headquarters Teaching Hospital, after visiting those injured in a Sept 26 attack on Aman Mela checkpost, Kundi said he was regularly briefing the president on the situation in the province.
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he → speak → province
“I keep my president informed about the situation in KP.
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I → keep → KP
Whatever decision he takes will be implemented,” he said.
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he → take → decision
Kundi said the possibility of imposing governor’s rule was covered in the Constitution, and could be considered if the president and prime minister deemed it necessary.
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it → say → Constitution
The governor also criticised the PTI for announcing its long march to Islamabad, and warned that action would be taken against anyone who took the law into their own hands.
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who → criticise → hands
He also questioned the party’s ability to carry out its march, saying: “Let them first cross Swabi.”
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them → question → Swabi
The governor said KP was facing serious security challenges and called for collective efforts to combat terrorism.
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KP → say → terrorism
He criticised the provincial government for focusing on political confrontation and long marches instead of addressing the security situation.
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He → criticise → situation
Separately, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah also referred to the security situation in KP and said it was affecting both civilians and law enforcers.
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it → refer → civilians
Speaking on the news programme ‘Nadeem Malik Live’ on Samaa, he alleged that the provincial government was not making efforts to curb terrorism and, instead, was getting in the way of the federal government that was trying to keep the peace and stop terrorists.
“They do not fulfill their legal and constitutional responsibilities, and they create problems for the federal government, such as announcing the long march,” he remarked.
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he → speak → march
In such situations, Sanaullah added, “all options” were on the table, including the imposition of an emergency.
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options → add → emergency
“The Centre can take control of the province and appoint anyone as an administrator,” he said, further suggesting that governor’s rule could also be considered.
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rule → take → administrator
Then there was political dialogue, he said.
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he → be → ?
“These three options are on the table,” he said, adding that “we will proceed once we make a final decision”.
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we → say → decision
He also said that the PTI may pursue its political demands, but on terrorism, it had to stand with the Centre and condemn terrorism.
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it → say → terrorism
“They have to fulfill their legal and constitutional responsibility to fight terrorism,” he said.
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he → have → terrorism
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