Rawalpindi (HRNW)– Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sohail Afridi has said that former intelligence officer Faiz Hameed is an employee of a state institution, and if he has been punished, it is purely an internal matter of that institution.
He expressed these views while speaking to police officials after being stopped by Rawalpindi police at the Dhamial (Dahgal) checkpoint on his way to Adiala Jail. The Chief Minister questioned the police over repeatedly blocking his movement.
Sohail Afridi asked the officers why barriers were being set up against the citizens of their own country. “You stopped us the day before yesterday and today again. What message are you trying to give?” he said.
He criticized the police for allegedly mistreating women earlier, stating that Imran Khan’s sisters are non-political and should not have been subjected to such behavior. “Who orders you to do this?” he questioned.
The Chief Minister expressed frustration over being stopped despite holding a constitutional office. “You have placed barriers for the Chief Minister of a province. Am I a CM from another country? KP is part of Pakistan, and I am its Chief Minister,” he said.
He questioned the intentions behind such actions, saying it appeared as if the authorities wanted to portray KP as separate from Pakistan. “Explain to your superiors that such actions increase hatred,” he added.
Sohail Afridi alleged that all this was happening on the directions of the “fake Chief Minister of Punjab,” accusing the government of keeping Imran Khan and his wife unjustly imprisoned and isolating the PTI founder during detention. “This will be remembered,” he warned.
He said that efforts to sideline Imran Khan for the past three and a half years had failed, just like similar attempts made since 1947. He added that since April 9, 2022, the authorities had been dealing with a nation that deeply loves its leader.
Afridi reiterated the demand for an independent judiciary and restoration of democracy. He said the PTI founder had given negotiation authority to Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, and the party would stand by every decision they make.
On Faiz Hameed’s sentence, Afridi repeated that it was an internal institutional matter, and criticized the government’s performance, saying the youth were leaving Pakistan and that the ongoing political experimentation had failed. “Pakistan is heading towards destruction, though we have no personal enmity with anyone,” he said.
He also claimed that his passport had been placed on the control list, calling it a violation of his democratic right to meet his leader.
Support HRNW’s mission for independent journalism by donating here:
https://www.hrnww.com/donate-us/
