KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi waits at the factory checkpoint on his way to Adiala Jail
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has returned after being denied permission to meet Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan.
CM Afridi had reached Adiala Road on Thursday; However, the Rawalpindi police stopped him from traveling at the Gorakhpur check post. Afridi’s security team had initially planned a route from Rawalpindi to Adiala jail. The Chief Minister arrived from the private housing society and was stopped by a heavy contingent of police following security protocols.
Read: KP jirga calls for provincial finance commission, law enforcement reform
Permission was later given for Afridi to proceed from Gorakhpur checkpoint to the factory checkpoint, which is half a kilometer from Adiala Jail. Additional police units were deployed at the factory checkpoint and the road was temporarily closed to traffic.
Speaking to reporters at the factory check post near the Adiala jail, Afridi described an FIR filed against him as “a full toss of a no-ball” and said he would seek to have it withdrawn. He urged the authorities not to act.
Read more: KP CM prevented from meeting Imran again
Afridi said those who abducted the two jirga members were “enemies of peace and Pashtun traditions” and that anyone involved in terrorism, regardless of nationality, must be exposed and punished. He called for strict implementation of the national policy towards Afghan residents and warned that violations of local customs would have “very serious” consequences.
He also emphasized the duty of every Pakistani to respect the national anthem, the flag, the constitution and the rule of law, saying that concerns should be heard but should not be used to justify actions that suggest anti-national intent.
This is the sixth time in a row that CM Afridi has been denied a meeting with Imran, despite court orders issued by the Islamabad High Court.
