Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has issued an open political challenge to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, saying PML-N can choose any city in Punjab while PTI will select a city of its choice, and PML-N can also decide the day, date and time of the rally.
In his statement, Sohail Afridi said both parties should be provided a complete and equal political field. He said that if the PML-N rally proved larger than the PTI rally in terms of public participation, he would be ready to quit politics.
He said that if the PTI rally was larger, the PML-N would have to answer questions before the people of Punjab regarding its public mandate, alleged violence and repression against political workers, style of governance and performance.
According to Sohail Afridi, the PML-N would also have to apologise to the public and reconsider its political strategy and leadership.
میں ساری نون لیگ کو ایک کھلا سیاسی چیلنج دیتا ہوں۔
پنجاب کے کسی بھی شہر کا انتخاب نون لیگ خود کرے، جبکہ تحریک انصاف کے لیے بھی وہ اپنی مرضی کا کوئی بھی شہر منتخب کر لے۔ دن، تاریخ اور وقت بھی نون لیگ خود طے کرے۔ شرط صرف یہ ہے کہ دونوں جماعتوں کو مکمل اور یکساں لیول پلیئنگ فیلڈ دی…
— Sohail Afridi (@SohailAfridiISF) September 17, 2026
“Let the People Decide Through Their Strength”
The PTI leader said that if the PML-N had confidence in the performance of its government and its popularity among the people of Punjab, it should have no hesitation in accepting the challenge.
He said the biggest political test for the PML-N was the performance of Maryam Nawaz’s government. According to him, if the PML-N had confidence in the performance of its government and public popularity, it should come into the political field and let the people decide through their strength.
Sohail Afridi said the decision should not be based on claims, official statistics or media statements, but on public participation in rallies and the public response.
He said the challenge had been clearly presented and the people of Punjab would now decide.
In his statement, Sohail Afridi referred to the Feb. 8 general elections and claimed that the people of Punjab had given PTI a two-thirds majority on that occasion.
