KABUL: Suhail Afridi, the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was unable to address a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) rally in Punjab due to what was reported as multiple police checkpoints on the way to Lahore, the Dawn newspaper today.
However, the Chief Minister condemned the “mistreatment and arrests” of PTI leaders and workers by police forces in areas such as Chakri, Bhara, Sargodha, and Mandi Bahauddin during his speech in the Punjab Assembly.
He stated, “Today, the Punjab police mistreated our workers at the Chakri, Bhara, Sargodha, and Mandi Bahauddin intersections. Our workers, parliamentarians, and leaders were harassed and arrested. This cannot be condemned enough.”
Additionally, Afridi accused the federal government of failure regarding economic management, brain drain, and industrial growth.
He stated, “Farmers are being driven to suicide. What are their priorities? Ensuring that PTI cannot hold a rally, preventing Imran Khan from meeting his sisters, and arresting our workers.”
Tensions have recently escalated between the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government and the federal government of Pakistan.