• Afridi announces weekly protests outside IHC, Adiala jail
• Claims Imran kept in isolation and visitors denied access
• Alleges KP kept deprived of NFC share since 2018
• Special assistant says provincial cabinet to meet every Friday

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakh­tunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said on Sunday that the powers-that-be wanted to push the PTI into a conflict, but the party would remain peaceful and not opt for confrontation.

“However, the PTI will never hesitate to offer sacrifice,” Mr Afridi added while addressing a news conference at the Chief Minister’s House.

He maintained that efforts were being made to corner the PTI, but his party would continue to hold peaceful protests.

“Persistent efforts have been made to isolate the PTI, and peaceful protesters were even shot at,” the chief minister said.

‘Imran in isolation’

He continued that PTI founder Imran Khan was being kept in isolation and solitary confinement, and that all his visitors, including the chief minister himself and Mr Khan’s sisters, were being denied meetings with the incarcerated former prime minister.

Mr Afirdi said that after some unfortunate news was reported by international media, he went to Adiala jail to inquire about Mr Khan’s health, but even after spe­nding an entire night outside the facility, he was refused a meeting.

He added that they then went to the Islamabad High Court (IHC), but the judges also declined to meet them.

Weekly protests

The chief minister said the PTI had decided all its parliamentarians would hold peaceful protests outside the IHC every Tuesday, and accompany Mr Khan’s sisters to Adiala jail.

He added that the KP government would follow the directions issued by the PTI leadership.

“All the parliamentarians, including National and provincial assembly members as well as senators, will protest outside the IHC over delayed case hearings. They will all proceed to Adiala, accompanying Khan sahib’s sisters,” Mr Afridi told reporters.

He said he decided to hold a sit-in outside Adiala jail because his party was being mistreated.

The KP CM stated that while some chief ministers were offered official jets by the Pakistan Air Force and facilitated during travel, he was placed on the Passport Control List.

Responding to questions, the chief minister said no part of KP was under the control of militants. However, without naming anyone, he added that the entire country was being controlled by a single individual.

He said the Centre should consider the provincial government’s suggestions for maintaining lasting peace in KP, adding that decisions taken behind closed doors had harmed the province.

“If the federal government implements what the provincial government has been suggesting, it will be our responsibility to carry out those decisions and maintain law and order,” he said.

He added that the KP government wanted all stakeholders to be taken on board for any decision regarding peace in the province.

NFC share

Mr Afridi said the provincial government would participate in the National Finance Commission (NFC) meeting scheduled for Dec 4 and would fight for the province’s rights.

He added that the tribal areas were merged administratively with KP in 2018 but had yet to be merged financially.

He maintained that the NFC share for the merged districts had not been paid to KP since 2018, describing it as a “constitutional violation”.

The chief minister also announced that from Monday (today), awareness sessions would be held for students in universities so they could understand how the federal government had treated the KP government.

Responding to another question, the chief minister said that while he personally did not own any property in Tirah, his family did. He added that the recent documentary against him was an attempt to divert public attention, but people did not believe those who produced it.

“People know everything. They know who is lying, and we want them to do their job… only then will the country move forward,” the chief minister said.

‘Good governance’

Separately, Special Assistant to the KP CM Shafiullah Jan issued a statement expressing similar concerns about the PTI founder’s health. He criticised the PML-N leadership, saying the party had “forgotten its own past”, recalling how its workers met their “convicted leader” in London and sought guidance from him during his stay abroad.

“Today, they are fearful of Imran Khan’s statements and even his photographs,” he said, adding that the PTI founder remained the most popular political leader in the country and that attempts were being made to “block his voice”. Mr Jan said that the KP chief minister had declared emergencies in the education and health sectors and had decided that the provincial cabinet would meet every Friday. “Good governance is among the top priorities of Chief Minister Sohail Afridi,” he added.

Mohammad Ashfaq from Peshawar also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, December 1st, 2025