Afridi | Pakistan

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Sunday said that the PTI’s provincial government would participate in the National Finance Commission (NFC) meeting on December 4 and “fight the case for our province and its people” in the best possible manner. The 11th NFC was constituted on Aug 22 to finalise a new award for sharing federal divisible resources between the Centre and the provinces. The first meeting was originally scheduled for Aug 27, then delayed to Aug 29 for unspecified reasons. This, too, was postponed on the request of the Sindh government due to flood-related engagements. The session was later rescheduled for Nov 17, then Nov 18, and again deferred at the desire of the Prime Minister’s Office. Earlier this week, CM Afridi said that the federal government still owed Rs1.3 trillion under the NFC framework to the province. Addressing a press conference in Peshawar today, the CM said that the erstwhile tribal areas were merged with KP administratively in 2018, but they were yet to be fin...

After being denied a meeting with PTI founder Imran Khan for the eighth time, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi staged a sit-in at Factory Naka, near Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail on Thursday. CM Afridi was also denied a meeting with Imran at the jail last Friday. Speaking to reporters, he stated that it was unfortunate that, despite having orders from the Islamabad High Court (IHC), he was not permitted to meet the patron-in-chief of his party. He added that he wrote to the chief justice but received no response regarding the issue. The CM and party supporters originally intended to march to the prison, where Imran is incarcerated, but were stopped by a heavy contingent of police personnel at Factory Naka. The CM offered prayers at the sit-in, which were led by Punjab lawmaker Hafiz Farhat Abbas. Speaking to reporters earlier today, Afridi said that police had stopped him this afternoon at Factory Naka, near the jail. This is the same area where the party staged a sit-in after being denied a meeting...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, in a letter to his counterpart in Punjab, Maryam Nawaz, has raised concerns over the alleged manhandling of PTI founder Imran Khan’s sisters by police and the obstruction of the incarcerated ex-premier’s visitation rights. The development comes after Afridi on Thursday was denied access to meet Imran for a seventh time. Further, two days ago police had allegedly manhandled and “violently detained” Imran’s sisters from outside Adiala jail in Rawalpindi, where they were camped out after being denied a weekly meeting with him. The letter, which was shared by the PTI on social media platform X early on Friday, said that Afridi wished to draw Maryam’s attention to “serious concerns” regarding the “administration of court-mandated visitation rights” of Imran and the recent treatment of his family members. “Clear and binding judicial directions govern Imran’s visitation schedule. These orders explicitly permit his close family members and nominated individuals to meet...

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday took notice of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi’s “irresponsible” comments regarding the upcoming by-election for NA-18 in Haripur. Addressing a public gathering in Abbottabad’s Havelian yesterday, Afridi had issued a stern warning to those attempting to manipulate or change the result of the by-election scheduled for November 23 (Sunday). In a press release, the ECP said it had taken notice of the KP CM’s remarks, wherein he “threatened the district administration, police and staff deployed for the election, and incited the public present at the rally and the people in general”. “Not only has the provincial chief executive’s irresponsible behaviour made holding a peaceful by-election in NA-18 Haripur difficult, it has also put the lives of the district administration, police, staff posted on election duties, and the voters in danger.” The electoral watchdog has issued notices to CM Afridi and Shehrnaz Omar Ayub — PTI leader Omar Ayub’s wife...

A case was registered against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Sunday with the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) in Islamabad over his “profane” and “misleading” remarks about state institutions. Afridi had made the remarks referred to in the FIR on Nov 6 during an interaction with the media outside Adiala jail after he was once again denied an audience with PTI founder Imran Khan. He had alleged that security forces in KP would bring dogs into mosques and tie them down there, thereby violating the sanctity of holy places. His statement sparked an outcry, drawing condemnations. Subsequently, a first information report (FIR) was registered against him today on behalf of the state and under Sections 11, 20 and 26-A of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016. The FIR, a copy of which is available with Dawn, stated that following an inquiry dated November 8, it transpired that Afridi and others had “knowingly and deliberately, with mala fide intentions and ulterior motives,...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Friday condemned remarks by the province’s Chief Minister, Sohail Afridi, “disparaging the security forces and assailing counter-terrorism operations in KP.” Speaking to reporters outside Adiala Jail a day prior, the CM alleged that security forces in KP would bring dogs into mosques and tie them down there, thereby violating the sanctity of holy places. “When we would go and tell them that they are violating the sanctity of the mosque, they would tell us ‘you and these dogs are no different’,” CM Afridi said. “Despite this, we still support them … but do they know the pain of my people?” Taking to X and posting a video of the CM’s remarks, Kundi wrote that he condemned any rhetoric that undermined the “honour and sacrifice” of the armed forces. “The brave sons of our soil lay down their lives to protect our province — questioning their intent in sensational terms only damages morale and public safety,” he wrote. Kundi affirmed the importance of intelligence-b...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said on Thursday that he was unable to meet the chief justice of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) earlier today and was denied permission to meet PTI founder and ex-premier Imran Khan at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail. Afridi has been seeking a meeting with the former premier, who is incarcerated at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail, since he was sworn in as the KP CM on October 15. He has been denied access to the PTI founder at least four times since then, despite the IHC’s directives to implement its March order that reinstated a twice-a-week meeting schedule for Imran. Addressing reporters outside the prison, CM Afridi lamented that he was unable to meet the party founder and the chief justice of the IHC, the latter of whom he had waited 90 minutes to meet before leaving empty-handed. “As you all know, there have been continuous efforts through constitutional and legal means; this is the fifth time,” he said, referring to how frequently he was denied a meeting with the PTI f...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Sunday vowed to strengthen the police and provide them with modern equipment to restore peace in the province. The remarks come a week after the newly elected CM blamed the “flawed policy” of the federal government for the resurgence of terrorism being witnessed in the province. Addressing a rally in KP’s Karak district today, he said, “We are investing in efforts to increase our police capacity and provide them with modern equipment,” promising to strengthen counter-terrorism efforts in the province. “My purpose is to bring peace to KP in line with the vision of Imran Khan,” he said, announcing plans to invest in establishing a “special branch to enhance intelligence” in the province. He detailed that the KP government had “ordered 70 bulletproof cars for police, out of which they had received 40 so far.” Two days ago, CM Afridi signed the summary for the purchase of the vehicles after a row with the Centre over allegedly faulty vehicles. A statement is...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Saturday claimed the federal government owed the province Rs550 billion, calling for the National Finance Commission (NFC) meeting to be convened immediately. He made these remarks while addressing a jirga in the province’s Khyber district today. Last week, CM Afridi had called for a grand peace jirga in a bid to discuss avenues for “establishment of peace” in the province. “After 9/11, Pakistan entered a foreign war without our consent,” CM Afridi said, referring to the attacks of Sept 11, 2001, when deadly plane hijackings claimed almost 3,000 lives. “It was said that Pakistan needs sacrifices. For Pakistan, we left our houses. Drone strikes and military operations started here,” Afridi said. “We were made the scapegoats,” he told the crowd. “Our homes, markets, and mosques were destroyed, yet we gave sacrifices for Pakistan.” The chief minister warned against the launching of any new military operation in the province’s tribal districts, saying the people ...

Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider said on Friday that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi should “definitely” be allowed to meet incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan. He expressed these views while answering a question during a press conference in Peshawar. His remarks come a day after Afridi was denied a meeting with Imran. It was the the second time that he had failed in his attempt to meet the former prime minister since assuming office on Oct 16, despite getting permission from the Islamabad High Court (IHC). When Haider, who was addressing the press conference alongside KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, was asked for his opinion on the matter, he said: “There is democracy [in the country], and in my view, political people should be dealt with in a political manner. The court has given [Afridi] the permission to meet [Imran], and if there is no legal hindrance, I see no reason why the meeting should not take place.” The Punjab governor further stated that “several visitors had been meeting sev...

CM Afridi denied meeting with Imran

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Huzaifa Rehman said on Tuesday that the Centre has asked the Punjab government to arrange a meeting between KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and PTI founder Imran Khan to facilitate the formation of the provincial cabinet. Imran, imprisoned since August 2023, is serving a sentence at Adiala Jail in a £190 million corruption case and also faces pending trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act related to the May 9 protests. The PTI has regularly raised concerns about the lack of access to the party founder and how family, friends and party leaders are hindered from meeting him. Afridi, who was elected as the provincial chief minister last week, was denied a meeting with Imran during a visit to the prison on Thursday. Speaking to reporters, he said he would announce his cabinet after consulting Imran and seeking his input. He claimed he had officially notified the Punjab government and the federal government of his plan to visit Adiala, but received no response, adding that Prim...

PESHAWAR: Newly-elected Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mohammad Sohail Afridi on Monday said he believed in the supremacy of the law and would confront the Centre’s every unlawful and unconstitutional step. “A narrative is being built that I will go for confrontation with the federal government. Yes, I will, if anything is done by it against the Constitution. I will continue to speak for the supremacy of the Constitution,” he told a provincial assembly session chaired by Speaker Babar Saleem Swati here. The chief minister said that he wrote letters to the chief justice of Pakistan and federal and provincial governments and even petitioned the Islamabad High Court for ensuring his meeting with detained founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Imran Khan but to no avail. He said he would challenge the federal government over the continued denial of his meeting with Imran and would boycott meetings called by it. Informs assembly that there won’t be any political arrests under MPO in province Mr Afridi said ...

Afridi faults Centre for terror resurgence

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Monday claimed that the resurgence of terrorism being witnessed in the province was due to the “flawed policy” of the federal government. The PTI, which has been in power in KP since 2013, opposes military operations, which are also resisted by tribal people as they often lead to displacements. Although the federal government in August ruled out a new offensive, it continues counterterrorism operations under the National Action Plan. A military operation looms over the Kurram district, where people have started leaving their homes, while a targeted action is planned in Bajaur’s War Mamund tehsil. In his first official high-level meeting since he assumed the role of the KP CM on October 15, Afridi presented “important policy directives and announcements”, a post on his office’s X account said. “Terrorism has returned to the province due to the federal government’s wrong policy,” the post quoted CM Afridi as saying. He further claimed that the federal governmen...

The newly elected Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has called for a grand peace jirgah on October 25, in the province’s Khyber district, in a bid to discuss avenues for “establishment of peace” in the province. In a statement on X, Afridi said, “For the establishment of peace, a grand peace jirga of tribal elders, leaders, and youth — transcending political affiliations — will be held on Saturday, October 25, 2025, in Khyber District, Bara Tehsil.” Stressing the need for prioritising the will of KP’s people in deciding the matters of the province, he said, “The people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will themselves decide their lives and their future.” “No one will be allowed to impose decisions made in closed rooms on the people,” he said, vowing that the KP government “will stand with Imran Khan’s ideology and the interests of the people.” The development comes as the province witnesses a rise in terrorist attacks, which escalated after the TTP broke a fragile ceasefire deal with the state in November ...

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mohammad Sohail Afridi on Friday declined to attend a top-level huddle chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to chalk out a course of action regarding the future of Afghan refugees. However, Mr Afridi was represented by Muzzamil Aslam, former adviser to the chief minister on finance, in the meeting. In a statement on X, the chief minister said that he had declined to attend a federal government’s meeting about agriculture and Afghan refugees on the ground that attending such meetings without policy guidelines from detained PTI founder Imran Khan would be an insult to people’s mandate. He hoped that the federal government would resolve the issue of his meeting with Mr Khan and direct relevant authorities to arrange his regular meetings with the party’s founder. Mr Afridi said that his legal team was approaching the Islamabad High Court and other forums on the matter. Hopes Centre will ensure his meeting with Imran in jail Earlier in the day, he was denied a meetin...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif assured newly-elected Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Thursday that the federal government was willing to work with his administration for the national interest. After a week-long constitutional and political crisis in the province over the chief minister’s election, Afridi was sworn in as the KP CM yesterday evening, with hundreds of PTI supporters present during the ceremony at the Governor House in Peshawar. The lead-up to the election saw criticism from government ministers against Afridi but a statement on X by state broadcaster PTV News today said the premier had a talk with the new chief minister and congratulated him. “The federation is ready to work with the you in the interest of Pakistan,“ the statement quoted PM Shehbaz as telling CM Afridi. Separately, the Peshawar High Court granted protective bail to Afridi till November 18. A two-member bench comprising PHC’s Senior Puisne Judge Justice Ijaz Anwar and Justice Muhammad Naeem Anwar took up Afridi’...

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Tuesday asked Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi to fulfill his “constitutional and legal responsibility” in accordance with today’s court order and return to his province to administer the oath to CM-elect Sohail Afridi. “You should go to KP. I will ask the Sindh chief minister to lend you his plane so you can reach KP and fulfil your constitutional and legal responsibility in accordance with the court’s order,” said the PPP chairman while addressing a seminar in Karachi. The Peshawar High Court (PHC) directed Kundi today to administer the oath to Afridi tomorrow by 4pm. The court’s decision, which was reserved earlier today, came on a PTI application seeking the nomination of the assembly speaker or any other person “considered appropriate” in place of the governor to administer the oath. View this post on Instagram In an apparent dig at the Punjab government, Bilawal stated that the PPP is competing internationally and not with any city or province of Paki...

Minister for Infor­mation Attaullah Tarar on Thursday claimed that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) Sohail Afridi has been nominated as the new chief minister for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to “support, promote, and enable” terrorism in the province. Yesterday, PTI’s Ali Amin Gandapur said he has resigned from his role as the KP CM while the party’s general secretary, Salman Akram Raja, confirmed that party founder Imran Khan directed Afridi to assume the role of provincial chief executive. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad today along with Ikhtiar Wali Khan, the coordinator to prime minister on information for KP affairs, Tarar maintained PTI “enables terrorists”. “These handful of terrorists are enabled by a person sitting in jail who is the chief sponsor of terrorism,” the information minister claimed, saying that PTI founder’s support for terrorists is evident from old interviews. Tarar said the contention with Ali Amin Gandapur was that he does not do what he’s told, i.e., “enable and support terrorists...