Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has cancelled its planned public rally at Mazar-e-Quaid in Karachi, citing road closures and the health condition of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi.
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Afridi was scheduled to attend the rally along with other PTI leaders on Sunday, September 06, 2026.
According to reports, containers and road blockades placed on several routes made access to the venue difficult. Party officials said reaching the rally site could have taken until around 6:00 a.m., making it impractical to hold the event as scheduled.
PTI Karachi President Faheem Khan said the party’s other programs planned for Monday is likely to continue as announced.
The cancellation comes amid heightened security and traffic restrictions in parts of Karachi, particularly around major routes leading toward the Mazar-e-Quaid area.
Earlier to this, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has called on the Sindh government to either accept responsibility or clarify who is behind the digging of trenches, placement of containers and closure of roads along his route to Karachi.
Addressing supporters on Hyderabad Road, Afridi said he would proceed towards Karachi, the capital of Sindh, after Hyderabad.
The KP chief minister said Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had welcomed him a day earlier, but alleged that trenches were subsequently being dug along their routes, containers were being placed and roads were being blocked.
Afridi questioned the Sindh government over the measures and said the people of Sindh would not accept such treatment of guests.
“If the Sindh government is carrying out these actions, it should accept responsibility. If it is not behind them, it should clearly explain who is doing this,” the KP chief minister said.
He reiterated that the Sindh government should either take responsibility for the road blockades or provide a clear explanation about who ordered the measures.
