Peshawar - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has strongly condemned the obstruction of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa parliamentary delegation in Islamabad, describing the move as a direct assault on the Constitution, democratic norms, and the public mandate. The chief minister said that the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had entrusted their mandate to Imran Khan. Consequently, consultation with him on critical public matters, including the provincial budget, is not merely a political preference but a democratic right of the people and an ethical, political, and constitutional responsibility of the provincial government. He maintained that by preventing elected representatives of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from proceeding, the Islamabad administration and police had undermined democratic values and violated constitutionally guaranteed rights.
Peaceful Protest Stopped
Members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa parliamentary delegation were on their way to stage a peaceful protest against the continued denial of access to Imran Khan. However, they were forcefully stopped through what the Chief Minister described as unconstitutional and undemocratic means. He further remarked that preventing elected representatives from entering the federal capital, exercising their right to peaceful protest, and expressing their views constituted a manifestation of authoritarianism. Such actions, he said, reflected a growing fear of public mandate and democratic dissent.
Mandate Cannot Be Disregarded
“The mandate of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cannot be disregarded or disrespected. We will not retreat from our struggle to secure our constitutional and democratic rights,” the chief minister asserted. Sohail Afridi claimed that the federal government was deliberately obstructing efforts to facilitate a meeting between him and Imran Khan because it feared the country’s genuine political force. Speaking to the media after the parliamentary convoy was stopped at 26 Number Chungi, Islamabad, the CM criticised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s conduct during a recent meeting, describing it as inappropriate and inconsistent with political norms. He maintained that selective efforts had been made to highlight certain visual aspects of the meeting while omitting key portions of the prime minister’s remarks.
PM’s Assurances Omitted
The Chief Minister revealed that the PM had acknowledged at the outset of the meeting that the concerns raised by the Chief Minister were valid and had assured him that practical measures would be taken to address them. However, according to Afridi, this portion was subsequently excluded from the publicly circulated version of the speech. He said that such actions conveyed an unfortunate and misleading message to the people and government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, creating the impression that considerations other than the national interest were driving decision-making. He argued that these developments further demonstrated the federal government’s discomfort with public mandate, constitutionalism, and democratic traditions. The chief minister added that he and his party had consistently been denied their constitutional and legal rights.
Baton Charges on Representatives
“We are being prevented from exercising our rights. Cases are being registered against us. Even today, our elected representatives and parliamentarians were subjected to baton charges. What message is being conveyed through such actions, and what direction is the country being pushed towards?” he questioned. He emphasised that democratic governments accommodate dissent, whereas authoritarian governments attempt to silence political voices by erecting barriers and restricting freedoms. If elected representatives themselves are denied the freedoms of movement, peaceful assembly, and expression, he noted, the claim of protecting the rights of ordinary citizens becomes increasingly difficult to sustain. The chief minister reiterated that the mandate of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would not be compromised and that the province’s elected representatives would not be allowed to become victims of political victimisation.
