ISLAMABAD: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was once again stopped on Thursday from meeting the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder chairman Imran Khan in Adiala jail for the ninth time.
According to a PTI post on its official social media account, Chief Minister Afridi went to Adiala jail to meet Imran after attending the NFC meeting in Islamabad but was not allowed access.
Speaking to the media outside the jail about the possibility of Governor’s Rule being imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Afridi said, “What are they waiting for… Impose it today. We are not afraid of any Governor’s Rule. They will not be able to control and manage the situation that I am predicting.” He criticised the government for not tolerating a chief minister from the tribal areas for the first time, warning that removing him would create anger and frustration among the people of the tribal belt. Afridi stated that Governor’s Rule would be a ‘win-win situation’ for him, allowing him to work independently. He announced plans to visit Punjab soon.
He promised to inform the media about an immediate action plan, including the possibility of staging a sit-in, following the repeated denial of access to the incarcerated party supremo.
“Today is the ninth time that I have come. The chief minister of a province is coming again and again, but not even a five-minute meeting is allowed. The whole world is seeing this discrimination; their actions are being noted and will be remembered,” Afridi said.
When asked if he planned to spend another night outside the jail in protest, he noted that Imran Khan’s good physical health had been confirmed in a meeting with Uzma Khan, so the PTI would prepare its future course of action to address concerns about the party founder’s mental stress.
Afridi emphasized that he had come to play on the front foot, adding, “The instructions are that the umpires are colluding, so be careful. We will play on the front foot and keep an eye on the umpires.” He said the continued refusal to meet shows that “our coming here hurts them, so we will hurt them again and again.” However, he added that protesting on the streets is certainly an option for the party as per law and the Constitution.
Separately, Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan claimed that her interview with foreign media was misrepresented, stating that “the government’s disgrace is not because of us but because of their own wrong policies.”
Speaking to the media outside the Anti-Terrorism Court in Rawalpindi, she said the PTI founder has been kept in solitary confinement and vowed that their protest will continue until it ends.
Aleema Khan added that the party founder is allowed to meet lawyers, family and political colleagues twice a week, which is his legal right, and that these meetings should continue.
