Afridi's Long March: Confrontation with Military Imminent

Ahead of the October 4 long march, Imran Riaz Khan looked back at incidents that occurred in October and November two years ago.

At that time, a march led by Ali Amin Gandapur failed to achieve its goals due to military firing.

Imran Riaz Khan predicted that Afridi would face significant challenges during the upcoming long march.

The responsibility of former generals Bajwa, Nadeem Anjum, and Faiz Hameed was highlighted, stating that the failure of policies allowing terrorist infiltration led to the current situation.

These failures are putting immense pressure on the Pakistan Military Establishment.

The military's priorities were criticized for being on protecting vested interests rather than national interests, and suspicions of covering up intelligence failures during the September 9 incident were raised.

The military's actions of pressuring PTI and focusing on September 9 instead of targeting terrorist groups or India, and not Operation Sindhur, were pointed out.

After the meeting, journalists and commentators simultaneously posted defamatory tweets about Imran Khan on Twitter, initiating an organized tweet offensive.

Between 12 AM and 2 AM, specific social media accounts simultaneously posted content alleging collusion between TTP and PTI and predicting violent incidents similar to the May 9 events.

The speaker suspected this entire propaganda, carried out within two hours at night, to be the work of the military establishment and a 'False Flag' operation orchestrated by them.

The possibility of tampering with the May 9 incident was raised, citing inconsistencies such as the lack of on-site evidence in the investigation records.

The investigation records included illogical accusations, such as one woman committing terrorism in six cities simultaneously.

The absence of an objective judicial investigation into the May 9 incident was highlighted, with an example of Shah Mehmood Qureshi having cases filed against him in six locations in Punjab despite being in Sindh.

Nationwide suppression and forced disappearances in Punjab and Sindh have led to public discontent, and the suffering experienced by Baloch, Pashtun, and Muhajir communities has now spread nationwide, causing military credibility to plummet.

The public no longer believes the military's pretense of eradicating terrorism and views the war on terror with suspicion.

As the military continues wrongful practices such as disregarding public suffrage, forced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and asset seizures, even all legitimate decisions of the state are distrusted.

Local residents no longer believe that military operations can be a solution to the problem, which severely undermines the military's legitimacy.

80-90% of Balochistan's territory is virtually inaccessible, indicating a very severe security situation.

Despite this, the military is focusing on the relatively safer Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to suppress political opposition.

Imran Riaz Khan criticized the military for ignoring the serious problems in Balochistan and allocating resources based on political motives.

With Imran Khan's three sisters imprisoned, the government's negotiating team plans to request visiting permission from Commander Asim Munir, and the negotiation period may vary depending on Sohail Afridi's schedule.

The imprisonment of Imran Khan's three sisters acts as a new variable in negotiations, which are expected to continue for several more days due to Sohail Afridi's schedule.

Imran Riaz Khan expects Sohail Afridi's long march procession to reach the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa border around the 7th or 8th, but not enter Punjab before Friday.

The outcome of negotiations will depend on the number of people participating in the long march, with on-ground mobilization dictating negotiating power at the table.

He stated, "It seems Sohail Afridi's procession will not attempt to enter Punjab before Friday."

Afridi urged participants to engage in peaceful struggle and noted that the march is being prepared with active donations from common people rather than the wealthy.

Mohsin Naqvi was criticized for monopolizing key positions such as Interior Minister, Senator, PCB Chairman, and Punjab Chief Minister, benefiting maximally from the current system.

It was argued that the problem lies not with the system itself, but with the intentions of the military and powerful individuals who interfere in politics.

It was asserted that with judicial and media freedom guaranteed, the current system is sufficient for progress, and ultimately, intentions, not institutions, are what matter.