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 manner in which his visit was handled was neither an administrative error nor an accidental event, but a conscious and intentional act.
He wrote that what happened amounted to a direct affront to a constitutional function and undermined the spirit of respect between the federating units.
“I am writing to you with deep concern and strong objection to the manner in which my recent visit to the province of Punjab was handled and the events that deliberately took place during and after the visit.”
Recalling the sequence of events, the KP chief minister said the actions he faced were neither accidental nor administrative.
“This reflects conduct totally inconsistent with the dignity of constitutional office and the spirit of interprovincial respect,” he said.
Afridi reminded the Punjab CM that he had made the visit in his official capacity as chief minister, but said the welcome fell far below constitutional standards.
“Unfortunately, the treatment accorded me was marked by a lack of courtesy, unnecessary hostility and deviations from protocol that cannot be justified by any accepted standard of interprovincial 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 mass detentions and visible theatrics, which he called “a message of intimidation rather than cooperation.”
He deplored that “such measures were neither proportionate nor justified and reflected an intention which went well beyond legitimate security considerations”.
Afridi further reminded that “even public places, including shopping streets and markets, were completely closed, and total power cuts were caused, places were turned away, which pained the common citizens of Lahore at this cost.”
“Free access, as provided for in the Constitution, has even been denied to motorway rest areas,” the letter adds.
The KP CM also took note of a “coordinated and malicious social media campaign that accompanied and followed” his visit.
“Serious insinuations, specifically related to narcotics, have been injected into public discourse,” Afridi said.
“These allegations have been amplified by narratives widely perceived to be aligned with or operating under the Punjab government,” he claimed.
“Let me make it clear: the use of state-linked digital platforms to spread or amplify defamatory insinuations against a sitting chief minister of another province is unacceptable, irresponsible and institutionally indefensible.”
“Allegations of such seriousness cannot be made through insinuations or suggestions; they require evidence, jurisdiction and legal process,” he told the Punjab CM.
“Anything that does not correspond to this constitutes defamation,” he added.
Afridi said that “overall – protocol degradation, excessive police optics and synchronized digital smear – the pattern is too consistent to be considered a coincidence.”
He alleged 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 officials are targeted through innuendo rather than formal channels. »
He called this conduct “contrary to the status of a provincial government” and said it undermined the “collective credibility of the federating units.”
“I officially declare my strong protest and rejection of the treatment meted out to me and the defamatory stories propagated during this episode.”
“I hope your government will ensure that such conduct – administrative as well as digital – is neither repeated nor normalized, and that accountability is imposed where necessary,” he said.
Speaker Punjab Assembly
Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan announced that the report of the committee formed to probe the chaos, hooliganism and physical clashes during the KP Chief Minister’s visit would be handed over to the law enforcement agencies for further action.
Speaking on the matter, the Khan claimed that under the guise of political party workers, foreign terrorists entered Jinnah House while armed. He further claimed that the intruders were carrying a chemical substance used to completely burn the place down.
Addressing a press conference at 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 those who do not respect the sanctity of holy places like Mecca and Madinah cannot respect democracy or the Punjab Assembly. He said individuals whose names and CNICs were not included in the official guest list were involved in acts of violence and abuse, which would not be tolerated under any circumstances.
