Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was denied permission to meet PTI founder Imran Khan at Adiala Jail on Thursday, prompting him to call on party workers to stage protests across Pakistan later in the evening.
Afridi, accompanied by several PTI leaders and lawmakers, reached the Medicine Factory checkpoint on Adiala Road but was prevented by police from proceeding towards the prison. The barriers were subsequently removed and traffic restored.
The chief minister was accompanied by Mena Khan, Shafi Jan, Ahad Shah, Abdul Salam Afridi and Shahid Khattak.
The delegation remained unable to meet Imran as the scheduled visiting period at the jail expired.
Afridi questioned police officials at the checkpoint about why he was being prevented from proceeding and said he would wait until the allotted meeting time had ended before commenting on whether the meeting would take place.
After being denied access, the chief minister announced that PTI supporters would take to the streets nationwide at 10pm.
“Tonight at 10pm, every chowk across Pakistan will become D-Chowk,” Afridi said, urging supporters to gather at intersections carrying Pakistani and PTI flags.
He also told party workers to remain focused on PTI’s planned September 27 march on Islamabad, claiming the mobilisation had become a “nightmare” for authorities.
“We have said that we will bring two million people to Islamabad on September 27. We will bring even more,” Afridi said.
The confrontation comes amid renewed PTI concerns over access to Imran Khan at Adiala Jail and the party’s preparations for its planned mobilisation next month.