RAWALPINDI: In a move likely to fuel fresh political controversy, newly elected Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was on Thursday barred from meeting his party’s jailed founding chairman, Imran Khan, despite prior intimation to the authorities.
Talking to reporters outside the Adiala Jail, Afridi said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had congratulated him on assuming office, for which he was thankful.
He said he had taken up this matter of meeting arrangement with the prime minister, who assured him he would “inquire and get back,” but no response was received.
“On Wednesday, I informed both the Punjab and federal governments regarding the matter, but no one responded,” he said.
He added that all legal and political avenues have been exhausted, and that the PTI still has the option of peaceful protest.
Responding to a question about the formation of an advisory council, he said that this body would be constituted at his discretion if and when it is needed. He said, “Pakistan comes first, and everything else later,” he remarked.
Afridi also stated that he would announce decisions regarding his cabinet only after meeting with Imran Khan. “It’s Imran Khan who has entrusted me with this gigantic task as chief minister, and I will not disappoint my leader or my party,” he said.
“I assure you, I will not let you down. We must demonstrate discipline and patience,” he added.
He urged party workers and supporters to wait for directions from their leader, emphasizing that PTI was a political party committed to working within the framework of the constitution and the law.
“Our goal is to secure the release of our leader through legal and constitutional means,” he added. Afridi, who had arrived at Adiala Jail to meet Khan, left for Peshawar after waiting for nearly two hours when permission for the meeting was not granted.
To a question, he said he had never been able to meet his leader since Khan’s incarceration, despite making multiple attempts during his tenure as an MPA, when he regularly visited the prison.
Separately, the legal team of Khan and his spouse, Bushra Bibi has completed final arguments before the special court hearing Toshakhana II against the couple.
Special Court Judge Shahrukh Arjumand, hearing the case at a makeshift court at Adiala Jail, adjourned proceedings until October 29 after the defence counsels completed their final arguments.
Special Prosecutor Syed Zulfiqar Abbas Naqvi and Barrister Umair Majeed had earlier concluded the prosecution’s final arguments following the recording of statements by Khan and his wife under Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).
Khan and Bushra Bibi’s lawyers – Barrister Salman Safdar, Qausain Faisal Mufti, and Arshad Tabrez – presented the defence’s final arguments.
During the next hearing, the prosecution team will begin presenting its rebuttal arguments.
The prosecution team remained present inside the courtroom throughout the hearing. Both Khan and Bushra Bibi were produced before the court by jail authorities. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Salman Akram Raja, and Mashal Yousafzai also attended the hearing.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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