Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. SCREEN CAPTURE
PESHAWAR:
The federal government and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Friday criticized 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 before 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 Pakistan-Afghanistan tensions, repatriation of Afghan refugees, wheat shortage, black market regulation, flood damage assessment and national level policy coordination.
However, Afridi, despite being in Islamabad, declined to participate.
Ikhtiar Wali Khan, Prime Minister’s Coordinator for Information and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Affairs, condemned the decision and said the representation of the province was handed over to “a person so deeply lost in the cult of personality that he has subordinated the government to him.”
“Instead of safeguarding this land for which our ancestors sacrificed their lives, we now seem willing to let it fall apart,” he said. “The Prime Minister’s tone makes it clear that his personal loyalty trumps his duty to the country.”
Wali Khan said Afridi’s absence from such a crucial meeting was tantamount to betraying the 40 million citizens of KP, adding that the province’s losses in politics and coordination would be the responsibility of the PTI and the new chief minister.
“The federal government is motivated by the love of Pakistan, but the KP prime minister is consumed by the love of Imran Khan,” he alleged.
“He must stop using the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as fuel for his politics. The CM’s office is a symbol of the State… he should display the national flag and [Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali] “Jinnah’s portrait, not personal loyalties.”
Meanwhile, PML-N’s 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 that directly affect the province.
“This behavior shows the provincial government’s apathy towards public suffering,” Khattak said. “People in flood-affected areas are still waiting for help, flour has become unaffordable and terrorism is rearing its head again, but the prime minister continues to prioritize political grudges over the national interest.”
He said the PML-N believes that cooperation between the federation and the 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.”
