The richest senator, Mirza Afridi, has faced criticism for not speaking out against fascism. Instead, he went on a world tour and shared updates on social media at a time when many expected him to address more pressing issues. Despite being the Senate’s Deputy Chairman, he did not issue production orders for Azam Swati and Ijaz Chaudhry. Despite facing opposition, he is being re-elected as a senator with the support of those who have endured hardship and oppression.
There has been widespread criticism of Mirza Afridi on social media. Mirza Afridi was elected as an independent senator in March 2018, allegedly by paying a substantial bribe. This led to his party membership being suspended by Quaid Imran Khan for reportedly selling the votes of 20 MPs.
After becoming a senator, Afridi met with Nawaz Sharif and joined the PML-N. Following PML-N’s electoral defeat, he aligned with PTI. In 2021, Shibli Faraz lobbied for Mirza Afridi’s candidacy for the Senate Deputy Chairmanship and announced that he would be the PTI’s nominee for the position. It is alleged that Mirza Afridi spent between two to three billion rupees to secure his Senate seat and also influenced MPs, including Shibli Faraz, from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to support him.
When PTI faced difficulties after April 2022, Mirza Afridi did not attend PTI protests and criticized Imran Khan, even when Khan was attacked. Furthermore, PTI senators Azam Swati and Ijaz Chaudhry did not receive production orders even though Afridi could have issued them.
Those in PTI who support Mirza Afridi for financial gain are accused of betraying the party workers and Quaid Imran Khan. There is still an opportunity for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa President Ali Amin Gandapur to reconsider supporting Mirza Afridi and consider Khurram Zeeshan & Azhar Mashwani, who are seen as true patriots and committed PTI members.
IMRAN KHAN INFORMAL CONVERSATION WITH JOURNALISTS
During an informal conversation with journalists at Adiala Jail, Imran Khan answered many questions asked of him. “I have had food poisoning twice. Nawaz Sharif had a fridge and other facilities in jail. Food spoils due to lack of fridge. You know the conditions of the jail, what conditions I am in,” Imran Khan said during the informal conversation with journalists at Adiyala Jail.
When asked if he had stopped his party from making statements against the army, a journalist inquired, “Have you stopped your party from making statements against the army?” to which Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi replied, “Any organization of the government will be criticized if it does wrong.”
“They are attacking the courts again like in the past. Time has proven what the former commissioner Rawalpindi said to be true,” Imran Khan shared during his informal conversation with reporters at Adiala Jail.
Addressing the U-turn issue, Imran Khan stated, “The largest U-turn is that who raised the slogan of honouring the vote and honoured the boot.” This was mentioned during Imran’s informal conversation with journalists.
