PM Shehbaz assures KP's new CM Afridi of Centre's full cooperation

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday congratulated Sohail Afridi on being elected as the new chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, assuring him that the federal government was ready to work hand in hand with the provincial administration for the greater good of Pakistan.

According to state broadcaster, this was the first telephonic exchange between the premier and Afridi following the latter’s election amid strained relations between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz-led Centre and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led KP government.

وزیراعظم شہباز شریف اور وزیراعلیٰ خیبر پختونخوا سہیل آفریدی کے درمیان ٹیلیفونک رابطہ@CMShehbaz pic.twitter.com/gQwaD0pZzf

— PTV News (@PTVNewsOfficial) October 16, 2025

“The federation is ready to work with you in the interest of Pakistan,” the premier told Afridi, who had taken the oath of office just a day earlier, succeeding Ali Amin Gandapur. In response, Afridi expressed gratitude for the gesture and said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa represented 45 million Pakistanis whose voices must be heard.

COURT PROCEEDINGS AND BAIL

Earlier in the day, the Peshawar High Court granted protective bail to CM Afridi till November 18. The two-member bench, comprising Justice Ijaz Anwar and Justice Muhammad Naeem Anwar, took up Afridi’s application, with the chief minister personally appearing before the court.

During proceedings, KP Advocate General Shah Faisal Uthmankhel told the bench that it was unclear how many cases might exist against Afridi, noting humorously that there could even be one against himself. The court subsequently barred Afridi’s arrest in any case until November 18, directing that details of any pending criminal cases be submitted at the next hearing.

Speaking outside the court, Afridi stated that the federal authorities and those preventing his meeting with PTI founder Imran Khan should realise that a province’s elected chief minister was being denied access to his party leader.

ATTEMPT TO MEET IMRAN KHAN

Following the hearing, Afridi departed for Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, where Imran Khan has been incarcerated since August 2023. Videos shared by his digital media focal person Yar Muhammad Khan Niazi on social media platform X showed the chief minister en route to meet the former prime minister.

چیئرمین عمران خان نے مجھے وزیر اعلی بنایا ہے، میں یقین دلاتا ہوں میں آپکو مایوس نہیں کرونگا، ہمیں نظم و ضبط کا مظاہرہ کرنا ہے

ہمیں اپنے قائد کی ہدایات کا انتظار کرنا ہے،
ہم ایک سیاسی جماعت ہیں ہم نے آئین اور قانون میں رہ کر بانی کو رہا کروانا ہے،

وزیر اعلیٰ خیبر پختونخواہ… pic.twitter.com/v51hmhnvyU

— PTI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (@PTIKPOfficial) October 16, 2025

However, the PTI later claimed that the authorities did not allow the meeting to take place, calling it an “anti-Pakistan act” and accusing the government of isolating leadership trusted by millions. Addressing supporters near the jail, Afridi said he had come to meet his party’s founder and had fulfilled all legal requirements to do so.

He revealed that he had informed both the federal and Punjab governments in writing about his scheduled visit, but no response was received. “I thanked Shehbaz Sharif sahib for his call. I told him that our political differences should not harm the people. He said he would look into it, but I have yet to hear back,” Afridi remarked.

‘PEACEFUL PROTEST REMAINS OUR RIGHT’

Reaffirming his party’s stance, the KP chief minister said his government would continue to pursue all constitutional and legal means to secure Imran Khan’s release. “If courts fail to deliver justice, peaceful protest remains our constitutional right,” he asserted.

Afridi, a loyal PTI figure hailing from Bara tehsil of Khyber district, has been associated with the party since his student years. In his maiden speech in the KP Assembly, he described himself as a “champion of confrontational politics”, pledging to continue his predecessor’s struggle for Imran Khan’s release with renewed determination.

PHC grants protective bail to KP CM Sohail Afridi until Nov 18

He added that Quaid-e-Azam’s vision guided his political path, declaring, “Pakistan comes first – everything else follows.” The young chief minister also warned that if Imran Khan were transferred from Adiala Jail without consultation, PTI would paralyse the country in protest.

Meanwhile, Afridi continues to assert that his administration will remain disciplined and committed to constitutional means. “Imran Khan made me chief minister,” he said, “and I promise the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that I will not disappoint them.”