KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi Alleges Punjab Police Tried to Abduct Him
LAHORE:Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has alleged that Punjab Police attempted to abduct him and later left him in the middle of a road.
According to a statement posted on PTI’s X account, Afridi told the media that an attempt had been made to abduct a sitting chief minister of a province before he was allegedly left on the roadside. He said the incident was not a minor matter and claimed that pressure would now be exerted on those responsible.
“We were left helpless. There was no security around us for 15 minutes. They left us here and went away,” Afridi said.
He questioned whether such actions were aimed at creating divisions within Pakistan. Referring to a statement allegedly made by the Punjab chief minister, he said the claim that there was no threat from India but a threat from the provinces was significant in the context of what had happened.
Earlier, Afridi had himself boarded a police van at Masjid-e-Shuhada Chowk in an effort to secure the release of PTI workers. He reportedly told police that he would not leave the vehicle until his workers were released.
Responding to Afridi’s alleged abduction claim on X, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari rejected the allegation and mocked the chief minister’s account. She questioned how he could have been abducted while voluntarily sitting inside a police van with cameramen and security guards.
Bokhari alleged that Afridi had himself entered the police van while police officers were asking him to get out. She described the episode as “cheap acting” and accused him of creating a political drama.
Meanwhile, PTI leader Shaukat Basra told UrduPoint that Lahore’s party leadership had been detained and that hundreds of PTI workers had been arrested. He said the party had been heading towards Liberty when police set up checkpoints and detained its workers.
Afridi subsequently announced that PTI leaders and workers would not leave the area until those detained were released.
The KP chief minister had also met the family of late PTI worker Ishtiaq Ahmed in Lahore and expressed strong anger over the Punjab Police operation. He offered prayers for the deceased and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family.
Afridi assured the family of all possible assistance and support, describing the alleged act of throwing Ishtiaq Ahmed into a vessel of hot oil as extremely tragic, condemnable and unacceptable.
