Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Secretary Shaukat Yousafzai on Wednesday became emotional while addressing allegations against him for suggesting the party delay its October 4 long march towards Islamabad.
“As a senior member, I voiced a concern that the court order or allegations that the PTI was bringing terrorists could be used for an action,” he said while speaking on Geo News‘ programme “Geo Pakistan”
Yousafzai on Tuesday urged the party leadership to further postpone the long march, warning that the risk of emergency rule made it imperative to delay the protest.
In the letter addressed to PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar and other party leaders, he said the march should be postponed in the wider national interest, particularly given the security situation and increased terrorist activity.
However, KP CM Sohail Afridi said that the October 4 long march will take place under all circumstances.
“If Shaukat Yousafzai’s letter comes to me, I will throw it in the dustbin,” he said, adding that the letter had not reached him.
On CM Afridi’s statement regarding his letter, Yousafzai said that he was hurt by it.
“I was not expecting that from Sohail Afridi. He is my younger brother,” Yousafzai said, emphasising that when CM Afridi announced the march for October 4, he had made clear that he would be among the first to participate.
According to the PTI provincial information secretary, he was portrayed as a “traitor” of the party for raising concern over the workers’ safety.
“I regret the abuse that followed on social media. I regret that my lifelong dedication to PTI was called into question,” he said, visibly emotional.
The PTI leader recalled that party leaders and workers endured hardships following the May 9, 2023 riots. “These kinds of accusations hurt a lot.”
According to Yousafzai, he had made a mere suggestion to delay the long march, but was suspected of having been “bought off”.
Yousafzai recalled that he had spoken in CM Afridi’s support in the past, reiterating that “he is not a facilitator of terrorists”.
He criticised social media activists, saying they were causing damage to the party.
Yousafzai rejected any suggestion that he could leave PTI, saying, “There is no question of me leaving the party.”
