PESHAWAR:
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has formally lodged a protest with Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz alleging that he was subjected to deliberate and humiliating treatment during his visit to Lahore, in violation of constitutional dignity and inter-provincial respect.
In a two-page protest letter sent to the Punjab chief minister, Afridi said the way his visit was handled was neither an administrative lapse nor an accidental incident, but a deliberate and deliberate act.
He wrote that what happened was a direct violation of a constitutional office and damaged the respect between federating units.
“I am writing to you with deep concern and strong exception to the manner in which my recent visit to Punjab province was handled and the events that deliberately unfolded during and after the visit.”
Recalling the sequence of events, the KP Chief Minister said the actions he faced were neither random nor administrative.
“It reflects behavior that is completely incompatible with the dignity of a constitutional office and the spirit of inter-provincial respect,” he said.
Afridi reminded the Punjab CM that he undertook the visit in his official capacity as Chief Minister but said the reception fell far short of constitutional norms.
“Unfortunately, the treatment meted out to me was characterized by rudeness, unnecessary hostility and protocol deviations that cannot be justified under any accepted standard of inter-provincial engagement,” he said.
The KP chief minister said the Punjab government adopted what he described as an extraordinary and excessive security posture during the visit, including widespread detentions and visible enforcement theatrics, which he called “a message of intimidation rather than cooperation”.
He complained that “such measures were neither proportionate nor justified and conveyed an intention that went far beyond legitimate security concerns”.
Afridi further recalled that “even public places including food streets and markets were completely sealed and entire power cuts were affected, venues denied, which pained the common citizens of Lahore at this cost”.
“Free access, as prescribed in the constitution, was even denied at highway rest stops,” the letter added.
The KP CM also noted a “coordinated and malicious social media campaign accompanying and following” his visit.
“Serious insinuations – specifically associating with drugs were injected into the public discourse,” Afridi said.
“These claims were reinforced through accounts widely perceived to be aligned with or operating under the umbrella of the Punjab government,” he alleged.
“Let me say this clearly: the use of state-linked digital platforms to circulate or amplify defamatory smears against a sitting premier of another province is unacceptable, irresponsible and institutionally unsound.”
“Allegations of such gravity cannot be floated through innuendo or suggestion; they require evidence, jurisdiction and due process,” he told the Punjab CM.
“Anything less than that constitutes character assassination,” he added.
Afridi said that “taken together – protocol degradation, excessive police optics and synchronized digital vilification – the pattern is too consistent to be dismissed as random”.
He argued that the events reflected “planning and intent, aimed at humiliation rather than engagement”.
The KP chief minister warned that “such actions undermine federal harmony, erode public confidence in provincial institutions and [set] a dangerous precedent where constitutional office holders are targeted through innuendo rather than addressed through formal channels.”
He called the behavior “below the status of a provincial government” and said it damaged “the collective credibility of federating units”.
“I record my strong protest and rejection of the treatment I have received and of the defamatory narratives being circulated during this episode.”
“I expect your government to ensure that such conduct – administrative as well as digital – is neither repeated nor normalized and that accountability is enforced where necessary,” he said.
Punjab Assembly Speaker
Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan announced that the report of the committee formed to probe chaos, hooliganism and physical clashes during the visit of the KP Chief Minister will be handed over to law enforcement agencies for further action.
Speaking on the matter, Khan alleged that foreign terrorists in the guise of political party workers entered Jinnah House while armed. He further claimed that the intruders were carrying a chemical substance which was used to set the premises completely on fire.
Addressing a press conference in the Punjab Assembly, Speaker Khan stressed that the seriousness of the incident warrants a thorough investigation by law enforcement agencies to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
He said that those who do not respect the sanctity of holy places like Mecca and Medina cannot be expected to respect democracy or the Punjab Assembly. He stated that persons whose names and CNICs were not included in the official guest list were involved in violence and man-handling, which would not be tolerated under any circumstances.
