Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi addresses media representatives in Lahore on December 27, 2025.
PESHAWAR:
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Saturday slammed the government for its system of “oppression and fascism”, saying such orders could build roads but never nations.
He emphasized that true nation building was possible only when the rich and the poor were governed by the same law and justice system.
Addressing a two-day health awareness conference organized by the Pakistan Medical Association in Peshawar, which he attended as the chief guest, the chief minister said KP was the only province in the country to provide free healthcare coverage to its entire population.
He compared it to Punjab, where he said the free healthcare scheme launched by former prime minister and party leader Imran Khan had been stopped.
Afridi said the provincial government would increase allocations to the nutrition sector in the next fiscal year’s budget, stressing that health and education were directly linked to public welfare and were therefore a priority for investment.
Addressing the issue of governance, the chief minister said systemic change cannot be achieved by individuals acting alone and requires collective responsibility. He stressed that every individual must be aware of their duties, adding that evading one’s responsibilities also falls under the definition of corruption. He said the provincial government was working to make governance and service delivery systems more effective and transparent, adding that accountability and efficiency were key to restoring public trust.
“In systems of oppression and fascism, only roads are built, not nations. Nations are built when there is one law and one system of justice for rich and poor.”
He added that the fight to dismantle separate systems for the privileged and disadvantaged had already begun.
The chief minister said the movement initiated alongside Imran Khan continued with full force and promised that collective efforts would be made to transform Pakistan into a truly strong state envisioned by national poet Allama Iqbal and founding father Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
He also paid tribute to former Punjab Health Minister Yasmin Rashid, saying the courage and resilience with which she faced her situation was admirable. “Dr Yasmin Rashid has already fought her part of the battle,” he said, adding that “now she is leading our part of the fight”.
