ISLAMABAD; Newly-elected Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has sought the intervention of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Yahya Afridi to arrange a meeting with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, who is currently imprisoned at Adiala jail.
In a letter to the CJP, Afridi stated that he was “under constitutional and moral obligation” to consult the PTI founder — who also serves as the party’s patron-in-chief — on critical issues, including the formation of the provincial cabinet.
Afridi revealed that he had previously contacted the federal interior secretary and Punjab home secretary to facilitate the meeting but received no positive response despite repeated follow-ups.
The KP CM stressed that his consultation with Khan was essential to discuss matters related to law and order, the province’s economic challenges, policy directions, and coordination with the federation and other provinces.
He also pointed out that “Punjab has currently stopped inter-provincial wheat trade,” highlighting the need for immediate guidance from the party leadership.
Sohail Afridi, a young and ideologically driven PTI leader from Bara tehsil of Khyber district, took oath as chief minister on October 15 after Ali Amin Gandapur resigned on Imran Khan’s directions. Afridi previously served as KP’s higher education minister and has been part of PTI since his student years.
In his maiden speech in the provincial assembly, Afridi described himself as a “champion of confrontational politics,” signalling a continuation of his predecessor’s hardline approach to secure Imran Khan’s release.
He warned that if the PTI founder was transferred from Adiala jail without consulting his family or the party, PTI would “paralyse the entire country” in protest.
Meanwhile, PTI sources revealed that Gandapur was replaced as KP chief minister after he favoured dialogue over launching another protest march on Islamabad — a stance rejected by Imran Khan, who insisted on continuing agitation to achieve his political objectives.
