Revisit Afghan Policy, Consult People to End Terrorism: KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi

Peshawar: Newly elected Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sohail Afridi, has called for a comprehensive review of Pakistan’s Afghan policy, stressing that the key to ending terrorism lies in taking local leaders and representatives into confidence.

Addressing the provincial assembly after his election as Leader of the House, Afridi said he was grateful to the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for trusting an ordinary worker “whose father, brother, or uncle was never in politics.” He emphasized that he did not become Chief Minister through any recommendation or “parchi,” but through public trust.

“I am first a Pakistani, then a Pashtun, and finally a tribal,” he said, adding that he would immediately begin efforts for the release of PTI founder Imran Khan. “I am a champion of protest politics — I have nothing to lose; no cars, no money, no luxury homes, and no greed for this chair,” Afridi declared.

He further warned that if his leader, Imran Khan, was sidelined without family or party consultation, “we will shut down the entire country.”

The Chief Minister asserted that he would remain loyal to his ideology regardless of power or privilege. “No cars, salutes, or crowns will make me abandon my beliefs. I will remain the same person I was before taking this office,” he stated.

Speaking about regional security, Afridi stressed, “We must revisit our Afghan policy. Where there is terrorism, the solution is to engage the elders of that area. The local representatives, parliamentarians, and community leaders must be consulted. Only by asking the people and their representatives can we find a lasting solution to terrorism.”