Sohail Afridi says PTI must decide future course of action as he is denied meeting with founder for fourth time
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. SCREEN GRAB
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.
Speaking to the media outside the Adiala Jail after he was not allowed to meet Imran, CM Afridi said court orders were again being ignored and the country’s constitution and laws were being trampled. He said the party would meet to decide its next steps and warned it would soon announce a course of action.
Afridi and his party delegation were prevented by the police from reaching a scheduled meeting with the party’s founder near Adiala. The police stopped the convoy at the Dahgal checkpoint on Adiala Road and did not allow them to proceed until the allotted meeting time.
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During the media briefing, the KP CM said that everyone in the province is asking why terrorists were resettled in the country and added, “We should be included in the formulation of the national security policy, we will respect the security forces and the federal government. He said that he has received instructions from the party founder to form a cabinet and 10 members would be included initially.
He accused the authorities of denying entry to Imran despite the Islamabad High Court granting permission for the meeting, adding that both the Punjab and the federal government had been formally informed as of letter. “The court granted us permission for our petition but we were still not allowed to meet through constitutional and legal means,” he said, expressing confusion over the obstruction and stressing that there was no internal rift in the party.
Speaking on government matters, Afridi criticized what he described as opaque decision-making behind closed doors. 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 of being involved in a mega corruption scandal, highlighted the shortage of teachers in the province and promised the recruitment of teachers and lecturers to close the gap.
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On federal-provincial fiscal issues, 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 regarding net hydel surplus distributions and said the province was being denied resources and rights it is constitutionally entitled to.
Expressing grief over the loss of both military personnel and civilians in the country, Afridi urged that the local people be taken into confidence and included in the consultative process to develop a policy.
PTI General Secretary Salman Akram Raja also said that they have been stopped about a kilometer from the Adiala Jail, adding that this is the fourth time the Chief Minister has been prevented from meeting the party’s founder. He added that they have come in compliance with an Islamabad High Court order and it is a constitutional and legal right for 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 if the meeting would be allowed, adding that the SHO shrugged his shoulders and refused. “This state was not created to be ruled by coercion; we will stand against this oppression,” he said.
