Ghareeda Farooqi Questions Lack of Street Protests Over Reports of KP Government’s Possible Removal
ISLAMABAD: Journalist and anchorperson Ghareeda Farooqi has questioned the absence of street protests in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa despite ongoing reports and political debate over the possible removal of Chief Minister Sohail Afridi’s government.
In a post on social media platform X, Farooqi said it was surprising that, despite several days of discussion about the possible end of the KP government, there had been no significant street protest in the province, with the opposition largely taking place on social media. Her remarks were reported on Tuesday.
Farooqi questioned whether the situation reflected public expectations about a possible political change in the province. She also referred to an earlier statement by Chief Minister Sohail Afridi that his removal would trigger a reaction across KP, asking where such a reaction was currently visible.
In another post, she raised several possibilities for the future political setup in KP, including an in-house change, the replacement of Afridi with another PTI leader, Governor’s Rule, an emergency or another political arrangement.
Farooqi also said she had earlier reported that the Sohail Afridi government could be removed, while stressing that the current debate should now focus on what political and constitutional course the province might take.
She argued that merely replacing the chief minister from within PTI would not address what she described as deeper governance, security and law-and-order problems in the province. She alleged that the PTI government’s policies had contributed to governance failures, security challenges and tensions with the federal government.
Farooqi further argued that a broader political and administrative structure was needed to address terrorism and security challenges in KP, including greater coordination between the provincial government and security institutions.
Her comments come amid heightened tensions between the federal and KP governments. Federal officials have publicly discussed the constitutional possibility of Governor’s Rule or an emergency if the situation warrants such action, while Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has rejected such threats and maintained his position.
KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has also said that Governor’s Rule could be considered only under extraordinary circumstances involving serious deterioration of law and order, and has urged the provincial government to avoid allowing the situation to reach that stage.
Meanwhile, the PTI has maintained its plan for an October 4 long march, while the federal and provincial governments remain at odds over security policy, governance and the proposed protest.
