Sohail Afridi says PTI will decide future course of action as he is denied meeting founder for the fourth time
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. SCREEN CAPTURE
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has revealed that the provincial cabinet will initially include 10 ministers as per instructions received from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan.
Speaking to the media outside Adiala Jail after he was not allowed to meet Imran, CM Afridi said court orders were being ignored again and the Constitution and laws of the country were being trampled. He said the party would meet to decide its next steps and warned it would soon announce a course of action.
Police prevented Afridi and his party delegation from reaching 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 proceed until the allotted meeting time passed.
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During the media talk, the KP CM said that everyone in the province is asking why the terrorists were resettled in the country, adding: “We should be included in the formulation of the national security policy, we will respect the security forces and the federal government. He said that he 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 even though the Islamabad High Court had granted permission for the meeting, adding that both Punjab and the federal government had been formally notified by letter. “The court gave us permission for our petition, but we were still not allowed to meet by constitutional and legal means,” he said, expressing bewilderment at the obstruction and stressing that there were no internal divisions within the party.
Speaking on governance issues, Afridi criticized what he described as opaque decision-making behind closed doors. He argued that policies affecting conflict-affected areas cannot be formulated by people who have never visited them, and urged that policy formulation include local leaders so that the results are effective and legitimate.
He also accused the Comptroller General of being involved in a mega corruption scandal, highlighted the shortage of teachers in the province and promised the hiring of teachers and professors to address the gap.
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On federal-provincial fiscal matters, 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 rightful share. He addressed outstanding issues over Hydel’s net profit allocations and said the province was being denied resources and rights to which it is constitutionally entitled.
Afridi expressed regret over the loss of both military personnel and civilians in the country, and urged that locals be trusted and included in the consultation process to develop policy.
Also speaking on the occasion, PTI general secretary Salman Akram Raja said they had been detained about a kilometer from Adiala jail, adding that this is the fourth time that the prime minister has been prevented from meeting the party founder. He added that they came in compliance with an order of the Islamabad High Court and that meeting is a constitutional and legal right of the party leaders.
He noted that he had personally sent the list of visitors to the superintendent of Adiala jail and had asked the local SHO if the meeting would be allowed, adding that the SHO shrugged and refused. “This state was not created to be governed by coercion; we will oppose this oppression,” he said.
