PESHAWAR: Provincial minister Shafi Jan has said that stopping Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muhammad Sohail Afridi along with provincial cabinet members and elected public representatives in Islamabad is not only highly condemnable but also a blatant violation of the Constitution, law, public mandate and democratic values.

In a statement issued here, he questioned what message federal government intended to send to people of the province by obstructing movement of an elected chief minister in such a manner.

Shafi Jan stated that restricting movement of an elected chief minister and political leaders amounted to curbing democratic freedoms. He said that Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was peacefully heading towards Adiala Jail to express solidarity with founding chairman Imran Khan and his family as the day was designated for family members and lawyers to meet Imran Khan in accordance with court orders.

He further stated that Punjab government administration not only stopped the chief minister Khyber Pukhtunkhwa convoy but also denied Imran Khan’s family members and lawyers permission to meet him. He further said that federal and Punjab governments had completely deprived founding PTI chairman Imran Khan of his constitutional, legal and human rights.

Criticising both the governments, Shafi Jan said that they had adopted an authoritarian style of governance and out of fear of Imran Khan were relentlessly undermining democratic traditions.

He added that rulers “imposed through Form 47” neither respected public mandate nor cared about the Constitution, rule of law or court orders.

The provincial minister said it was unfortunate that so-called democratic party, who’s head fled the country on a stamp paper, had come into through illegitimate means.

He added that restrictions on meetings with Imran Khan had made it clear to the nation that the real fear was of people’s elected leader Imran Khan, therefore, every possible effort was being made to silence him.

Shafi Jan stated that Imran Khan had been kept in illegal solitary confinement for more than 200 days, deprived of basic medical facilities and despite repeated demands by his family and party leadership had not been shifted to a hospital for treatment.

He demanded immediate access for Imran Khan’s family members and personal physicians and his immediate transfer to a hospital for medical treatment and provision of complete medical facilities under the supervision of his personal doctors.

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2026