Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. SCREENSHOT
PESHAWAR:
The federal government and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Friday lambasted newly elected Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi for refusing to attend a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, accusing him of putting political loyalty ahead of provincial responsibility.
The session, attended by all chief ministers, including those of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, was convened to deliberate on critical national challenges, including tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, repatriation of Afghan refugees, wheat shortages, regulation of black market, assessment of damage caused by flooding and national policy coordination.
However, Afridi, despite being in Islamabad, refused to participate.
Ikhtiar Wali Khan, prime minister’s coordinator for information and affairs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, condemned the move, saying the province’s representation was entrusted to “a person so deeply lost in the cult of personality that he has subjugated governance to it.”
“Instead of saving this land for which our ancestors sacrificed their lives, we now seem ready to let it collapse,” he said. “The chief minister’s tone clearly shows that his personal loyalty trumps his duty to the country.”
Wali Khan said Afridi’s absence from such a crucial meeting amounted to betrayal of KP’s 40 million citizens, adding that the province’s losses in policy and coordination would be the responsibility of PTI and the new chief minister.
“The federal government is driven by love for Pakistan, but the KP chief minister is consumed by love for Imran Khan,” he claimed.
“He must stop using the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as fuel for his politics. The CM’s office is a symbol of the state…it should display the national flag and [Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali] Jinnah’s portrait, not his personal loyalties.
Meanwhile, PML-N KP spokesperson Rahmat Salam Khattak also denounced Afridi’s decision, calling it “deeply regrettable and irresponsible”.
He said the meeting discussed the rehabilitation of flood victims, flour price inflation and the resurgence of terrorism, all issues directly affecting the province.
“This behavior shows the provincial government’s apathy towards public suffering,” Khattak said. “Residents in flood-affected areas are still waiting for relief, flour has become unaffordable and terrorism is rearing its ugly head again, yet the chief minister continues to prioritize political grudges over national interest. »
He said the PML-N believes that cooperation between the federation and provinces is essential for national security, economic recovery and public relief, but “unfortunately, the PTI-led provincial government has repeatedly chosen confrontation, stubbornness and political blame over collaboration.”
Khattak urged the KP chief minister to “act beyond partisanship, recognize his constitutional and moral responsibilities and work with the Center for the welfare of the people”.
