Sohail Afridi says PTI will decide on course of action as it is denied meeting with founder for fourth time
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. SCREENSHOT
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has revealed that the provincial cabinet will initially comprise 10 ministers, as per instructions received from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan.
Speaking to media outside Adiala jail after he was not allowed to meet Imran, CM Afridi said court orders were once again being ignored and the Constitution and laws of the country were being trampled upon. He said the party would meet to decide next steps and warned it would announce an action plan soon.
Afridi and his delegation were prevented by police from attending a planned meeting with the party founder near Adiala. Police stopped the convoy at the Dahgal checkpoint on Adiala Road and did not allow them to continue before the allotted meeting time.
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During the press conference, the KP CM said that everyone in the province is asking why the terrorists were resettled in the country, adding, “We must be included in the formulation of the national security policy, we will respect the security forces and the federal government. He said that he had received instructions from the party founder to form a cabinet and initially 10 members would be included.”
He accused the authorities of denying access to Imran despite the Islamabad High Court allowing the meeting, adding that Punjab and the federal government were officially informed through a letter. “The court has given us permission to present our petition, but we have still not been allowed to assemble through constitutional and legal means,” he said, expressing bewilderment at the obstruction and emphasizing that there were no internal divisions within the party.
Speaking on governance issues, Afridi criticized what he described as opaque and closed-door decision-making. He argued that policies affecting conflict-affected areas cannot be made by people who have never visited them, and insisted that policy formulation involve local leaders so that the results are effective and legitimate.
He also accused the Office of the Auditor General of being involved in a mega corruption scandal, highlighted the shortage of teachers in the province and pledged to recruit teachers and professors to make up the deficit.
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On federal-provincial tax issues, Afridi questioned why the federal government had not convened a session of the National Finance Commission (NFC), saying Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa was being deprived of its share. He cited outstanding issues regarding the distribution of net profits from the hospitality industry and said the province is being denied resources and rights to which it is constitutionally entitled.
Afridi expressed sadness over the loss of military and civilian personnel in the country, calling for residents to be taken into confidence and included in the consultative process for policy making.
Also speaking on the occasion, PTI general secretary Salman Akram Raja said they were arrested about a kilometer from Adiala jail, adding that this was the fourth time the chief minister was stopped from meeting the party founder. He added that they complied with an order of the Islamabad High Court and party leaders have the constitutional and legal right to meet.
He said he personally sent the list of visitors to the Adiala prison superintendent and 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 governed by coercion; we will oppose this oppression,” he said.
