• KP CM writes to Maryam to complain about excessive measures beyond ‘legitimate security concerns’
• PA speaker says Afridi’s visit to assembly to be probed, accuses CM’s entourage of ‘breach of protocol’

PESHAWAR/LAHORE: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi complained to his Punjab counterpart Maryam Nawaz of the treatment meted out to him during his three-day visit to Lahore, which he described as “a message of intimidation rather than cooperation”.

On the other hand, Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Ahmad Khan said the KP CM’s visit to the provincial assembly, which resulted in an altercation between the entourage and security officials, would be investigated by the law enforcement agencies in light of the CCTV footage and the initial inquiry report.

Both developments came a day after the CM wrapped up his trip to the provincial capital, where he was supposed to whip up support for the PTI’s planned ‘street movement’. The CM, however, was barred from visiting the cantonment to meet party leaders, as well as the food street that had been shut down ahead of his visit. He also went to Zaman Park amid heavy police deployment, while the detention of party supporters during the tour was also reported.

Mr Afridi took up all these grievances in his letter to CM Maryam. He told the Punjab CM that he undertook the visit in his capacity as the chief minister. “Regrettably, the treatment accorded to me was marked by discourtesy, unnecessary hostility, and protocol deviations that cannot be justified under any accepted standard of inter-provincial engagement,” he said.

CM Afridi maintained that the Punjab government’s adoption of an extraordinary and excessive security posture — including sweeping detentions and visible enforcement theatrics — was “a message of intimidation rather than cooperation”.

He complained that “such measures were neither proportionate nor warranted and conveyed an intent that went well beyond legitimate security considerations”.

The KP chief minister further recalled that “even public places, including food streets and markets, were completely sealed, and whole blackouts were affected, venues denied, paining the common citizens of Lahore at this expense”.

Mr Afridi also took note of the “coordinated and malicious social media campaign that accompanied and followed“ his visit. “Serious insinuations- specifically linking with narcotics were injected into public discourse,” he said.

“These allegations were amplified through accounts widely perceived to be aligned with, or operating under the umbrella of, the government of Punjab,” he alleged.

The KP CM was of the view that, “taken together — protocol degradation, exce­ssive policing optics, and synchronised digital vilification — the pattern is too consistent to be dismissed as coincidental”. He termed the conduct “beneath the status of a provincial government”,

and stressed that it damaged the “collective credibility of federating units”.

Separately, the KP CM also condemned the treatment meted out to him by the Punjab government during a cabinet meeting, calling it “undemocratic, reprehensible, and contrary to national unity”.

“Violence was perpetrated against cabinet members by the Punjab government, and roads were continuously blocked for a provincial chief minister, markets were forcibly shut down, even motorway rest areas were sealed, and turning off the lights during a visit to Mazar-i-Iqbal is extremely regrettable,” the CM was quoted as saying.

Punjab Assembly visit

On the other hand, speaking about the Punjab Assembly altercation, the Punjab speaker said that he had informed the KP chief minister that a special permit was required to enter the assembly premises, and that in the absence of any other documentation, “at least” an ID card number would be necessary verification for anyone wishing to enter. Malik Ahmad Khan added that CM Afridi had agreed and provided a list of those accompanying him from the National and KP assemblies, which had been facilitated. However, the protocols had not been followed, he regretted.

He also accused the CM of bringing unidentified individuals into the Assembly premises. The speaker said that he had constituted a “high-powered” inquiry committee to investigate the incident, which was tasked to investigate the CCTV footage of the arrival.

The speaker said that the footage depicted a breach of protocol at the gates, firstly because there was a greater-than-expected number of people accompanying the chief minister. Multiple members of the entourage were not on the assembly’s list and were also unable to display proof of identity as requested.

According to Mr Khan, the situation then escalated as security staff were “manhandled” after the unidentified individuals were stopped. According to the committee’s findings, he said, the unauthorised persons were convicted in the past

PTI demands apology

The PTI responded to the speaker’s press conference, saying that the Punjab CM and the speaker should, instead, apologise for the mistreatment, violence and abuse faced by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister.

PTI spokesman Shaukat Basra alleged the speaker allowed the Sharif family’s ‘goons’, not journalists, into the assembly building (where journalists’ entry is prohibited) as part of a conspiracy and they asked Meena Khan Afridi and other KP guests “vile questions”.

Mansoor Malik in Lahore also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, December 30th, 2025