RAWALPINDI: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has said that his government is ready to cooperate with the federal government if decisions are not imposed behind closed doors.
The provincial chief executive was once again denied permission to meet jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan.
It was the fourth time since his October 13 election as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister that Afridi had been denied a meeting with the jailed PTI founder.
Speaking to Geo News on Thursday, Afridi — who replaced Ali Amin Gandapur as the chief minister earlier this month — said he has started reviewing provincial affairs and has received several briefings, with more scheduled in the coming days.
The chief minister, who is a young PTI leader, added that consultation for a short provincial cabinet has been completed, and it will be formed soon.
Commenting on governance, Afridi said that resolving issues requires sincere intent rather than mere experience. “To run provincial matters, one needs the will to serve the public, not just experience,” he remarked.
He questioned what the experienced rulers in Punjab and the Centre had delivered to the people, noting the decline in economic growth. “What was our GDP growth in 2022, and what is it now?” he asked.
Despite political rivalry, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Afridi for being elected as the chief minister and emphasised the centre-province coordination to achieve the national goals. It was the first telephonic conversation between PM Shehbaz and CM Afridi following the latter’s election to the top post.
Speaking to reporters separately, the chief minister said the provincial cabinet had been finalised in line with the PTI founder’s directions, with more than 10 members included in the first phase. He added that the remaining cabinet members were under consideration.
Afridi said complaints from party workers were being addressed and that the provincial government was focusing on performance and accountability.
On the security front, he expressed concern over continued cross-border terrorism, saying that Pakistan was still facing attacks and martyrdoms originating from Afghanistan.
Soon after taking office, CM Afridi announced plans to meet Khan to discuss policy guidelines and the formation of his cabinet.
PTI leaders — including Afridi — then approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to ensure his meeting with the PTI founder for the same.
While the IHC directed prison authorities to allow such meetings, CM Afridi was unable to meet Khan when he arrived outside the Adiala jail on October 23.
Following the denial, he staged a short sit-in outside the prison, demanding the implementation of the court’s directives, though without success.
It is worth mentioning here that Khan has been behind bars since August 2023 following his conviction in in the Toshakhana case-I — one of the multiple cases registered against him since his ouster from power via a no-confidence vote in April 2022.
