- Afridi says he was released without security after govt came under pressure.
- KP official says Afridi boarded mobile to secure release of detained workers.
- Official claims police later drove vehicle away, dropped Afridi later.
A political confrontation erupted in Lahore on Monday after Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi alleged that authorities had “abducted” him before leaving him by the roadside, a claim rejected by Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari.
“We were abducted and, when they [authorities] came under pressure from somewhere, they threw me by the roadside, left me without security and drove away,” Afridi asserted.
The KP chief minister alleged that there was a “conspiracy to abduct the chief minister of a province”, saying he had previously warned that “they want to divide the country”.
A senior KP government official travelling with Afridi offered a different account of what happened. He said the chief minister had got into a police van in an effort to secure the release of party workers detained during the day’s events.
Some of the workers were subsequently released, but others remained inside the vehicle. According to the official, Afridi refused to leave while they were still detained.
The police then drove the van a reasonable distance from its original location before removing the chief minister from the vehicle, the official claimed.
Information minister Bokhari disputed that account, saying Afridi had entered the police vehicle voluntarily.
Footage posted by the Punjab information minister shows the KP chief minister walking towards the police vehicle and getting inside. Afridi is later seen refusing to get out, while a person can be heard asking him to “please leave the vehicle”.
Speaking to a private news channel, Bokhari said the situation developed after PTI supporters gathered around the police vehicle, leading officers to believe they were under attack.
“There were cameras shooting them, and there was a video from inside the dala (pick-up truck),” Azma said. “The driver thought the vehicle was being attacked, so he drove away, but stopped a short while later and said people got off and sat on the footpath.”
Bokhari questioned why none of the motorists in the area had apparently reported that Afridi was sitting on the footpath.
She also rejected the suggestion that the KP chief minister had been arrested, saying there were no police officers at the location and that Afridi’s guards and a cameraman were present.
“This is a total drama because people did not come out from Lahore and Punjab,” she said.
Asked about Afridi’s claim that he was released after pressure was brought to bear and then left without security, Bokhari responded sarcastically: “The only pressure in that scenario is his low blood pressure.”
There was also conflicting information from Afridi’s own official X account.
A post published at around 9pm said the chief minister “himself got on a Punjab Police van and reached a police station”. Another post, published minutes earlier, said Afridi was with party workers at a protest rally on Lahore’s Mall Road.
PTI accuses Punjab govt of targeting elected CM
KP Information Minister Shafi Jan backed Afridi’s account, alleging that Punjab Police had attempted to abduct the chief minister.
Jan claimed Afridi had been separated from his security detail and forcibly shifted into another vehicle before being taken to a remote location.
He alleged that the KP chief minister was later left without his security detail after “pressure mounted”.
Jan accused the government of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz of “police high-handedness”, describing the alleged treatment of Afridi as unconstitutional and undemocratic.
“The attempt to abduct Chief Minister Afridi will be considered an attack on the foundations of the federation,” Jan said.
He further alleged that the episode represented a “dangerous attempt” to provoke hatred and confrontation between the two provinces.
Jan warned that any effort to abduct an elected chief minister would amount to an attack on the foundations of the federation and said the “humiliation” of the KP chief minister would not be tolerated.
PTI also condemned what it described as Afridi’s “arrest” in Punjab, calling it an “insult” to the mandate and dignity of the people of KP.
The party said in a statement that the incident, along with recent remarks by the Punjab chief minister, could deepen “resentment, mistrust and division” among the provinces.
PTI said it would not resort to “provincialism, ethnicity, hatred or division” and stressed that the mandate of people in all provinces must be respected.
Afridi turns Lahore trip into face-off
The dispute came as Afridi’s visit to Lahore developed into a broader political confrontation with the Punjab government.
The KP chief minister lashed out at the provincial administration, rejected security and announced plans for a nationwide street movement on Sept 27 to rid the country of “fake rulers”.
Afridi had initially drawn up a detailed programme for his Punjab visit but changed his plans and travelled directly to Lahore to offer condolences to the family of a senior party worker who had died from burn injuries.
His arrival was followed by confrontations over the movement of PTI leaders and workers, with the KP government saying Punjab Police created hurdles for those attempting to join the chief minister.
Afridi criticised the policemen involved, calling them “shameless” and accusing them of pushing a man to his death while he was preparing for Eid-i-Miladun Nabi celebrations.
“I do not want security from a force that killed a man preparing for Eid-i-Miladun Nabi,” he said.
The KP chief minister also responded to Maryam Nawaz’s statement that she felt threatened by the other three provinces.
“The fake chief minister says she feels threatened not by India but by the other three provinces of Pakistan. I announce today that I feel no threat from my brothers and sisters in Punjab,” Afridi said.
Afridi and members of his cabinet faced police blockades as their convoy entered Punjab and later while travelling through Lahore, where entry and exit points had been sealed.
Tensions between police and PTI workers rose at several points during the convoy’s movement through the city, with reports of scuffles.
The journey had earlier been marked by enthusiastic receptions from PTI workers at several locations.
Party workers gathered along the route and chanted slogans as Afridi addressed supporters at Do Moriya Pul on Circular Road.
Hundreds of workers lined the city’s roads, prompting the KP chief minister to make several stops. He waved to supporters and raised slogans while standing through the sunroof of his vehicle.
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