• Afridi rebuked for ‘sympathising with terrorists’
• Talal says state won’t tolerate ‘single vague word” against the national counterterrorism narrative

KARACHI/ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Monday took strong exception to remarks by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, who had challenged the government to provide evidence that Afghan soil was being used for terrorism against Pakistan.

Talking to reporters at the residence of PTI leader Alamgir Khan after the party’s power show on Sunday night, the KP CM had said the state should provide evidence for its claim that Afghanistan’s soil was being used for terrorism in Pakistan.

He claimed that other countries also shared a border with Afgha­nistan, but they did not have the same complaints.

The clip was also shared by state broadcaster PTV on the social media platform X.

Later on Monday, while addressing the Sindh High Court Bar Association, the KP chief minister said that national institutions were being weakened, asserting that the Constitution and the legal system were being “openly toyed with”.

He told lawyers he had reached Karachi on the PTI founder’s direction to organise a street movement, following the “theft” of party’s election mandate, claiming cover of the constitutional right to dissent.

“We have to fight for our rights ourselves,” he said. “We are being cornered, so the only way left is for us to protest.”

While he had appreciated the welcome he received from the provincial government days earlier, CM Afridi accused the PPP-led Sindh government of “discriminatory treatment” against him and his guests, claiming that local authorities insulted cultural symbols, including the Sindhi topi and ajrak.

CM Afridi noted that the public looked to the judiciary for protection against injustice, yet court orders remained unimplemented. He alleged that a jail superintendent ignored directives from three Islamabad High Court judges allowing him to visit incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan.

State minister response

The KP CM’s quest for proof of Afghans’ role in terrorism elicited a swift rebuke from State Minister for Interior Senator Talal Chau­dhry, who cautioned on Monday that any political leader making “vague or sympathetic statements” regarding terrorists would be subject to severe consequences.

He added the government would not tolerate even a “single vague word” against the national counter-terrorism narrative.

Speaking to reporters outside Parliament House, Mr Chaudhry said that while parties were free to launch street movements, no one would be allowed to create space for terrorists who had targeted mosques, schools and security forces.

“If anyone tries to build a narrative for them or adopt a soft attitude, it is intolerable,” he said. “If you have so much sympathy for them, go to Afghanistan yourself or we will facilitate it.”

The minister also launched a critique of the KP government. He claimed that over 1,200 people had been killed in terrorism incidents, with “60-70pc of attacks occurring in KP in 2025,” marking the highest toll in Pakistan’s history.

“You deliberately did not spend on counter-terrorism institutions,” Mr Chaudhry said, accusing the provincial leadership of believing that disorder weakens the state, allowing them to “blackmail” the government.

Mr Chaudhry reiterated that there was no space for those who sympathised with terrorists.

“Anyone supporting terrorists will face the same treatment as terrorists,” he said. “No one will be allowed to play with Pakistan’s blood — not with weapons and not with narratives.”

With input from Ishaq Tanoli in Karachi and the APP news agency

Published in Dawn, January 13th, 2026