By Staff Reporter
RAWALPINDI: For the ninth time, prison authorities on Thursday barred the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Sohail Afridi, from meeting Imran Khan, the jailed founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, amid growing frustration over restricted access to him.
The denial came just two days after Khan’s sister, Uzma Khan, was finally allowed to see him at Adiala Jail following weeks of persistent efforts. Afridi and other party leaders had been scheduled to meet the former prime minister on Thursday. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the PTI said Afridi had arrived at the jail seeking access but was turned away. The party also shared a video showing the chief minister and his delegation in a waiting room, describing the episode as the ninth such denial.
Speaking to reporters outside the prison after the failed attempt, Afridi said he would soon announce his next steps, including whether to stage a sit-in protest. “I think the meeting is not being allowed,” he said. “Today is the ninth time I have come; a chief minister of a province is repeatedly coming, but even a five-minute meeting is not being allowed. The whole world is witnessing this discriminatory treatment, and their actions are being noted and will be remembered.”
He added, “This government won’t remain forever and then no one will get a chance to complain.” Asked if he intended to spend another night outside the jail in protest, Afridi noted that Uzma Khan’s recent visit had confirmed Khan’s physical well-being. But he emphasised that the party would now focus on addressing concerns about potential mental strain on the imprisoned leader.
Employing a cricket metaphor, a nod to Khan’s past as a star player, Afridi said, “I have been told to play on the front foot, and there are instructions that the umpires are colluding, so be careful. So we will play on the front foot and also keep a watch on the umpires.”
The chief minister suggested that the repeated denials were deliberate attempts to discomfort the opposition. “The continued denial of a meeting showed that our coming here pains them,” he said, “so we will mete out that pain again and again.” He affirmed that street protests remained a viable option for the PTI, in line with the law and the Constitution.
Afridi also addressed speculation about the possible imposition of governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a measure that would suspend the provincial government and place it under federal control. “What are they waiting for … impose it today,” he said. “We are not afraid of any governor’s rule.”
He warned, “They will not be able to control and handle the conditions that I am foreseeing.” Lashing out at the federal government, Afridi accused it of intolerance toward his leadership as the first chief minister from the tribal areas. He said that any move to remove him would provoke widespread anger and frustration among people from the tribal belt. “The people of KP and Pakistan see their future in me,” he said, adding that governor’s rule would ultimately be a “win-win” situation for him, allowing greater freedom to operate.
Videos shared by the PTI depicted a sizable crowd of supporters assembled outside the prison. Khan, who served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022, has been held at Adiala Jail since 2023 on charges including corruption and inciting violence, which he and his party deny as politically motivated. The restrictions on visits have drawn criticism from rights groups and opposition figures, who argue they violate basic prisoner rights.
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