Pakistan

Hafeezullah Niazi Challenges Mohsin Naqvi, Faisal Karim Kundi to Visit Ordinary Mosques in Peshawar

ISLAMABAD: Renowned political analyst and columnist Hafeezullah Niazi has challenged Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi to visit ordinary mosques and public places in Peshawar without extensive security arrangements to gauge public sentiment over their claims that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has been eliminated from the province.

In a post on social media platform X, Niazi strongly criticised recent statements by the two officials regarding PTI’s political position in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He referred to a press conference held at the Governor House in Peshawar, during which it was claimed that PTI had been wiped out from the province and that the imposition of Governor’s Rule or an emergency would provoke little or no public reaction.

Niazi recalled that, just a few weeks earlier, Governor Faisal Karim Kundi and other participants at a gathering in Lahore had reportedly agreed that a large majority of people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remained strongly supportive of PTI founder Imran Khan and were unwilling to hear criticism of him.

He challenged the two officials to visit any ordinary mosque in Peshawar on the coming Friday, without a large security detail, and interact directly with worshippers to assess public opinion for themselves.


In a sarcastic remark, Niazi suggested that the two officials could even disguise themselves and mingle with ordinary citizens to experience their reactions and receive their prayers, goodwill and expressions of support firsthand.

He argued that if the officials were unwilling to visit neighbourhoods, mosques and public places, it would indicate that the government remained confined behind the fortified barriers and security arrangements of the Red Zone, making it difficult to govern a province with a population of more than 40 million while disconnected from the public.

Niazi also expressed the view that representatives of what he described as the new ruling advisory council should demonstrate the courage to engage directly with people, as former chief minister Sohail Afridi had done. He suggested that such public engagement could strengthen public confidence and send a strong message to militant groups.

His remarks come amid heightened political tensions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and debate over the provincial government’s future, PTI’s public support and the possibility of emergency measures or Governor’s Rule.

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