PESHAWAR: Opposition Leader in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Dr Ibadullah Khan on Tuesday said that Chief Minister Sohail Afridi had effectively accepted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s mandate by meeting him, and that the federation did not owe any outstanding amount to the province under the National Finance Commission award.

Speaking to reporters at the Peshawar Press Club during the oath-taking ceremony of the Video Journalist Forum, Dr Ibadullah said the provincial government had already received funds from the federal government on Dec 25, 2025 and claims of non-payment were aimed only at criticising the Centre.

He also criticised the chief minister for holding a public gathering in Bara and referring to it as a jirga, calling it surprising. He said the chief minister should keep in mind that he could not achieve anything by “picking a fight with the federation”.

Dr Ibadullah alleged that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leaders were still facilitating militants.

Ibadullah says Afridi accepted PM’s mandate by meeting him

Referring to PTI’s announced protest on Feb 8, the opposition leader said even the party workers were unclear about the purpose of the planned agitation. He said calls for shutter-down strikes were being circulated on social media, adding PTI was attempting to harm people through shutdowns.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader further said that the agreement related to Tirah Valley had been signed by the provincial government and the deputy commissioner of Khyber, but the chief minister was now “doing politics” over the issue and issuing statements to gain sympathy from the affected population.

Dr Ibadullah alleged that the chief minister did not give any clear message to Tirah people at the Bara gathering and accused him of focusing on political mobilisation instead of governance. He also levelled allegations of corruption against the PTI leadership, claiming that individuals who once had no resources had become extremely wealthy within a short period.

He said people had received only disappointment during PTI’s 13-year rule in the province. He urged PTI to respect the public mandate, focus on provincial development and serve the people, saying that rallies and processions could not be termed public service and only resulted in wastage of public resources for political gain.

He also accused PTI of targeting rival political parties and using provincial resources against the federation, calling it condemnable.

Published in Dawn, February 4th, 2026