Sohail Afridi says PTI to decide future course of action as he is denied meeting with founder for fourth time
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. SCREENGRAB
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has revealed that the provincial cabinet will initially include 10 ministers as per the instructions received from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan.
Talking to the media outside Adiala Jail after he was not allowed to meet Imran, CM Afridi said that judicial orders were again being ignored and that the country’s Constitution and laws were being trampled. He said the party would convene to decide its next steps and warned that it would soon announce a course of action.
Afridi and his party delegation were prevented by police from reaching a scheduled meeting with the party’s founder near Adiala. Police stopped the convoy at the Dahgal checkpoint on Adiala Road and did not permit them to proceed until the allotted meeting time had passed.
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During the media talk, the K-P CM said everyone in the province inquires as to why terrorists were resettled in the country, adding, “We should be included in the formulation of national security policy, we will respect the security forces and the federal government. He said he has received instructions from the party founder to form a cabinet and that, initially, 10 members would be included.
He accused authorities of denying access to Imran despite the Islamabad High Court having granted permission for the meeting, adding that both Punjab and the federal government had been formally notified by letter. “The court gave us permission on our petition, yet we were still not allowed to meet through constitutional and legal means,” he said, expressing bewilderment over the obstruction and stressing that there were no internal rifts within the party.
Speaking on governance issues, Afridi criticised what he described as opaque, closed-door decision-making. He argued that policies affecting conflict-affected areas cannot be made by people who have never visited them, and urged that policy formulation include local leaders so that outcomes are effective and legitimate.
He also accused the Auditor General’s Office of being implicated in a mega corruption scandal, highlighted shortages of teachers in the province and pledged recruitment of teachers and lecturers to address the gap.
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On federal-provincial fiscal matters, Afridi questioned why the federal government had not convened a National Finance Commission (NFC) session, saying Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa was being deprived of its due share. He referred to outstanding issues over net hydel profit allocations and said the province was being denied resources and rights it is constitutionally entitled to.
Afridi expressed sorrow at the loss of both military personnel and civilians in the country, urging that locals be taken into confidence and be included in the consultative process for evolving a policy.
Also speaking on the occasion, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said they have been stopped about one kilometre from the Adiala Jail, adding it is the fourth time the chief minister has been prevented from meeting the party founder. He added that they have come in compliance with an Islamabad High Court order and that it is a constitutional and legal right of party leaders to meet.
He noted that he had personally sent the visitor list to the Adiala Jail superintendent and had asked the local SHO whether the meeting would be allowed, adding the SHO shrugged and refused. “This state was not created to be ruled by coercion; we will stand against this oppression,” he said.
