KP CM Sohail Afridi. Photo: Screengrab
ISLAMABAD:
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Wednesday accused the federal government of sidelining the PTI and taking key national decisions behind closed doors without taking stakeholders into confidence.
Addressing a press conference in the federal capital, Afridi said the federal government had abruptly canceled a scheduled meeting on NFC issues without giving reasons, adding that decisions affecting the entire country were taken without transparency.
He claimed that the PTI, which he described as the country’s largest political party, was being “pushed against the wall” while unfair treatment continued against the party’s founding chairman Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi and family members.
The KP chief minister maintained that the public had overwhelmingly voted for the PTI founder and wanted him to lead national decision-making, but neither he nor his party were consulted on important issues.
Criticizing the government’s economic management, the chief minister said Pakistan’s trade deficit had exceeded $20 billion, agricultural growth was turning negative and youth were looking for ways to leave the country. He also questioned rising fuel prices and said petrol had reached Rs321 per liter despite lower global oil prices.
