Pakistan’s KPK CM stages protest after meeting with Imran Khan denied

Peshawar, Oct 23 (PTI) Pakistan's northwestern Province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Chief Minister Suhail Afridi on Thursday staged a sit-in on Adiala Road in Rawalpindi district after being denied a meeting with jailed former Prime Minister and PTI founder Imran Khan.

Talking to protestors gathered on the occasion, Afridi accused the authorities of flouting court orders and called the denial evidence of the judiciary’s helplessness.

Afridi’s security detail and Rawalpindi police were put on alert, and commuters caught in the gridlock faced significant difficulties.

During the protest, PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) workers chanted slogans in support of Afridi and the party.  Speaking to the media after the demonstration, Afridi said that despite court orders, he was not allowed to meet his party’s founder.  “Not allowing us to meet the founder despite judicial directives is the helplessness of the judiciary,” he said, adding that judges are unable to enforce their own orders. He warned that such developments raise questions about the country’s direction.

Afridi claimed he has been targeted since assuming office as chief minister. “When I became CM, I was targeted. Someone said I would not become chief minister,” he said, stressing the necessity of seeking guidance from his party leader.  He added that he had written to the federal government and the Punjab government seeking permission for the meeting and that legal avenues had not produced results. “We will now go to the court of public opinion,” he said.

Asserting his duties as chief minister, Afridi said his priority is to serve the people and that rallies and processions are party activities. “I will follow whatever instructions come from the party,” he said, describing the party’s strategy as unified.

Afridi also declared that no cabinet in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be formed without the consent of the PTI founder.  “The PTI founder remains in our heart, my policy will follow his direction,” he said, adding that the province will repatriate Afghan nationals with dignity and respect.

Meanwhile, Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi, in a statement, said that all provincial matters cannot be managed from jail, adding that the new Chief Minister should derive his authority from the party founder but act independently in governance.

The founder, Imran Khan, will not gain freedom through confrontational rallies but through the courts. Our province cannot afford further conflict and wastage of resources,” he remarked. PTI AYZ RD RD