PESHAWAR/ NOWSHERA/ISLAMABAD: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said on Friday that if court orders were not implemented, the country would drift towards lawlessness where everyone would be forced to seek justice on their own, and that would result in chaos and irreversible damage to the state.
The chief minister said they have decided not to allow National Assembly or Senate proceedings to continue, arguing that such institutions are meaningless if they fail to provide relief to their members. He made the remarks while speaking to media persons outside Adiala Jail after staging an overnight sit-in there.
He warned that if the situation worsened, it would be beyond anyone’s control. He urged the judiciary to ensure justice, saying if the judiciary fails to deliver justice, where will the public turn? People may then take the law into their own hands and make their own rules.
He announced a protest outside the IHC on Tuesday, saying parliamentarians from across the country have been called to join. They party plans to hold a peaceful protest outside the court and visit Adiala Jail to stand in solidarity will Imran Khan’s sisters there.
The chief minister said it was deeply alarming that courts and the judiciary were unable to get own lawful orders implemented, despite the fact that three judges of the Islamabad High Court had issued clear directives about meetings with PTI founding Chairman Imran Khan.
He said he remained outside the jail the entire day, night and even in the morning, yet despite all efforts, no meeting was allowed. The chief minister said that as already stated earlier, all constitutional and legal avenues had been exhausted to meet Imran Khan, yet despite clear court orders, he and other party leaders are repeatedly being denied access.
He said he had raised this issue previously as well but no response was received, and once again on Thursday serious concern was raised when, despite submitting the names of six party members who are also cabinet members and parliamentarians, none of them were allowed to meet Imran Khan.
The chief minister added that earlier, even Imran Khan’s sisters were stopped from meeting him and they were subjected to disgraceful treatment outside Adiala jail. He said that all these tactics are being used only to break Imran Khan.
Sohail Afridi condemned the continuous harassment of Bushra Bibi, whom he described as a modest and veiled woman, saying she was being subjected to mental and physical distress deliberately to pressure Imran.
He said that Imran was not being allowed to meet his family, and even his basic necessities and essential winter items were not being delivered despite the cold weather.
Meanwhile, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar criticised Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi for pursuing a political approach that, he said, neglects governance in the province.
In a tweet, on his social media handle X, Tarar alleged that PTI’s attention remains fixed on an unlawful demand — seeking political guidance from its founder imprisoned in Adiala Jail on a corruption conviction — rather than addressing the needs of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a practice he stressed violates prison rules.
He added that despite Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s crucial role in the country’s fight against terrorism, the provincial leadership has ignored peace, development, and public relief, spending its time in Islamabad revolving politics around the same unlawful narrative.
Tarar further alleged that a female PTI politician employed a negative strategy by orchestrating a malicious campaign against Khan Sahib through accounts hostile to Pakistan operating from Afghanistan and amplified by Indian media.
He said the campaign aimed to malign Pakistan’s image globally, describing it an open hostility towards the country.
Tarar added it was an attempt to damage the nation’s reputation and urged PTI to abandon its anti-state narrative and misplaced priorities, calling on the party to put the interests of the state and people first.
KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi asked the provincial government to prioritise governance and security over political point-scoring, saying that three major terrorist attacks took place in the province recently.
Talking to reporters here, he expressed his surprise at learning about the chief minister’s sit-in protest through television news.
“I saw on TV that the chief minister staged a sit-in,” he said, adding politics and government are two separate things, and they should always be kept separate.
He said that though the chief minister was free to engage in politics, he must manage the affairs of the province. “Our province is currently in the grip of terrorism,” Kundi remarked. “This is a time to establish peace and solve public problems.”
Shifting focus to the deteriorating law and order situation, the governor drew a direct link among three terrorist attacks. “The attacks on the FC Headquarters in Peshawar, the Wana Cadet College, and the Dera Police Training Centre were all of the same nature,” he said. “In all the three incidents, Afghan nationals were found to be involved,” he said.
Kundi criticised elements spreading chaos and called for robust action against them. “There should be full support for intelligence-led operations against such elements,” he asserted.
Paying tribute to the security forces, he said, “For peace, our security forces are sacrificing their lives. Their sacrifices must be valued.” Stressing the necessity of a unified approach, the governor stated that all institutions and political leadership must adopt a joint strategy to achieve sustainable peace in the province.
Meanwhile, Aleema Khan, sister of PTI founder, has filed contempt of court plea for not arranging her meeting with Imran Khan.
Superintendent Adiala jail, federal interior secretary and home department Punjab have been made respondents in the petition.
Aleema Khan has filed contempt of court petition in Islamabad High Court (IHC) for not arranging her meeting with Imran Khan. The petition said that the court’s March 24 order has not been implemented.
The petitioner requested the court to award punishment to those found responsible in non-implementation of court orders.
Meanwhile, KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) for arranging his meeting with PTI founder Imran Khan in Adiala Jail. Jail department, Punjab and others have been made respondents in the petition.
The petitioner has taken the plea that the permission is not being given for meeting with Imran Khan despite court orders to jail administration. All the legal requirements have been met in this regard. But even then permission is not being given for meeting with Imran Khan. Court should issue orders in this respect.
Talking to media persons on Gorakh Pur barricade, Sohail Afridi said no information has been provided about wellbeing of Imran Khan so far. “I have spent night with workers here. This was one night and if we have to spend the whole life for Imran Khan, we will spend. We will not withdraw from dharnas and protest for the sake of our demands,” he said.
Sohail Afridi, Aleema Khan and accompanying lawyers were unable to meet the Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court, INP reported. CM Afridi said their case was not heard and that they received a message from the IHC Chief Justice stating he could not meet them.
Meanwhile, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Senator Rana Sanaullah suggested that KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi go on a hunger strike outside Adiala jail until death “in Imran Khan’s love”.
“The KP chief minister should observe the hunger strike until he dies in his love of the PTI founder,” Sanaullah said while speaking on Geo News programme Naya Pakistan on Friday.
The senior PML-N leader said a meeting should be allowed with the PTI founder in jail. However, he added, there should not be “hours-long press conferences” after meeting Khan.
“There should be no talk of arson, violence, or marching on Islamabad. No law allows anyone to run a movement from inside jail,” Sanaullah said. Meanwhile, Sanaullah said the court had earlier granted the PTI permission for a meeting with Khan on the condition that they do not engage in politics.
Speaking during the same show, Special Assistant to KP CM on Information Shafi Jan claimed that Sanaullah himself had earlier said a meeting with the PTI founder “should take place”, yet the government was now avoiding it out of fear. “We have reservations regarding the PTI founder’s health,” Jan said.
