RAWALPINDI: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Tuesday said the provincial government would proceed with the passage of its budget, but his remarks were interrupted by Aleema Khan during a media interaction outside the Adiala jail.
Aleema questioned why the government was moving ahead with the budget process and urged the chief minister to first secure a meeting with the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). She recalled that the PTI founder had made a similar request last year, asking that the budget be discussed with him and insisted that a meeting should take place before the budget is finalised.
Speaking to reporters, Afridi said the party’s primary demand was the transfer of PTI founder to Shifa International Hospital for medical treatment. Afridi added that the PTI founder should be allowed to receive treatment in the presence of his family members and personal physician, alleging that authorities were preventing meetings for ulterior motives.
Reaffirming the party’s loyalty to its jailed leader, Afridi said that decisions made by Imran from prison remained binding on the party.
Rejecting reports of a forward bloc within the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, Afridi dismissed such claims as propaganda. He alleged that the narrative was being promoted to divert attention and facilitate the passage of the federal budget at the expense of public.
He said the provincial cabinet had already approved the budget proposals and clarified that the government would not present a surplus budget. Instead, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would unveil a people-friendly budget prioritising healthcare, education, agriculture, youth development and the promotion of forestry.
Speaking to the media near the Dahgal Check-post on Adiala Road, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Tuesday reiterated that political issues should be resolved through dialogue, emphasizing that his party had neither pursued confrontation in the past nor intended to do so now.
Responding to a question, the PTI chairman said the party had held discussions with the Pakistan Peoples Party on matters related to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but no talks had taken place at the federal level. Referring to the proposed 28th Constitutional Amendment, he said the government did not appear serious about pursuing the matter at present.
He said the entire country remained concerned about Imran Khan’s situation and stressed that PTI considered itself as an integral part of Pakistan.
Addressing the cipher case, Gohar remarked that the matter had become part of history, noting that PTI founder Imran Khan had already been acquitted in the case. The PTI chairman also criticized what he described as delays in political engagement, saying that initiating talks only when convenient was not an acceptable approach. Gohar called for the establishment of a permanent communication mechanism, or hotline, to build mutual confidence among stakeholders and facilitate continuous dialogue.
PTI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa President Junaid Akbar dismissed speculation about divisions within the party, saying that if PTI founder Imran Khan had been dissatisfied with the party’s performance, he would have removed its office-bearers just as he had appointed them.
Speaking to the media outside the Adiala Jail, Akbar said neither he nor any other party leader possessed the influence to create a forward bloc within the PTI. He stressed that the final decision on whether the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa budget would be passed or rejected would be taken by the party leadership. He said all 92 members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly owed their political positions to the PTI founder and would vote in accordance with the party’s policy.
Acknowledging internal grievances within the party, he said a number of PTI lawmakers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had legitimate concerns that would be addressed. He revealed that he had personally met seven disgruntled MPAs a day earlier.
Meanwhile, a four-member medical team conducted a comprehensive medical examination of former prime minister Imran Khan in Adiala Jail on Tuesday, jail sources said. The team comprised ophthalmologist Professor Dr Nadeem Qureshi, Professor Dr Arif Khan, Dr Saman Waqar and Dr Ali Arif. The doctors first examined Imran Khan’s eyes at the jail hospital before carrying out a complete medical assessment.
Also, Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi held a 50-minute meeting in Adiala Jail on Tuesday, according to prison sources. The meeting took place in the jail’s conference room, where the couple was allowed to discuss various matters.
Aleema Khan, sister of Imran Khan, said on Tuesday meeting her brother was a constitutional and legal right, warning that the family would not remain silent if denied access to him. Speaking to reporters at the Factory Check-post near Adiala Jail, she alleged that the government was using imprisonment as a tool to suppress political opponents but could not jail everyone.
Rejecting reports of any meeting between Imran Khan and a former army chief, she termed such claims “fake” and alleged that misinformation was being deliberately spread. According to her, rumours of a deal involving the PTI founder surfaced whenever political pressure on the government increased. Defending the PTI founder’s political choices, she said he had selected Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas because of their political maturity and experience.
