Newly-elected Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has sought the Chief Justice of Pakistan’s (CJP) intervention to arrange a meeting with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) jailed founder Imran Khan.
Afridi was sworn in as the chief minister on October 15 after Ali Amin Gandapur resigned from the post on Khan’s directions.
In a letter written to CJP Justice Yahya Afridi, the newly-elected KP CM maintained that he is “under constitutional and moral obligation” to consult with the PTI founder, who is also the party’s patron-in-chief, at Adiala jail for seeking instructions on the provincial cabinet formation.
CM Afridi said that he had already approached the federal interior secretary, as well as the Punjab home secretary, for arranging a meeting with Imran, adding that despite repeated communications and follow-ups, the request was not fulfilled.
Afridi added that he needs to meet Imran to discuss matters relating to law and order, critical economic challenges, and policy matters regarding the people of the province.
“There is a pressing need to seek direction from the Founder Chairman/ Patron in Chief Mr Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi, regarding the above matters and others, including relations regarding certain important matters with the Federation and other provinces,” the letter read.
“The seeking of direction is extremely essential, even presently the province of Punjab has stopped the inter-provincial trade of wheat,” CM Afridi said.
Afridi — a young PTI leader — hails from Bara tehsil of Khyber district and held the portfolio of provincial minister for higher education before becoming the CM.
He is regarded among the party’s most ideological and grassroots-based workers, having been associated with the Imran Khan-founded party since his student years.
In his maiden speech in the KP Assembly, CM Afridi called himself “a champion of confrontational politics”, hinting at the continuation of his predecessor’s efforts to release the PTI founder Khan with new energy.
The young politician further warned that if the PTI founder was moved from Adiala jail without consulting his family and the party, they would paralyse the whole country in protest.
Meanwhile, PTI sources said that Gandapur was replaced as KP chief minister after he insisted on dialogue instead of another protest march on Islamabad.
However, the PTI founder dismissed his advice, insisting on agitation to achieve his political goals.
