Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi once again failed to secure a meeting with incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan on Thursday, despite an Islamabad High Court (IHC) order from earlier in the day allowing such meetings.
In its verbally dictated order on petitions from various PTI leaders, the IHC directed the superintendent of Adiala jail to allow their meetings with their party leader. Afridi, elected chief minister earlier this month, is seeking the meeting for “guidance” on the makeup of his provincial cabinet, maintaining he would effectively leave his government dysfunctional until the meeting materializes.
On Thursday afternoon, immediately upon receiving the IHC verdict, Afridi proceeded to Adiala Jail and sought to meet Khan. However, Punjab Police stopped his convoy at Dahgal checkpoint near the prison, forcing him to walk to the prison, where he was once again denied entry.
Upon being denied the meeting, the chief minister staged a brief sit-in outside Adiala Jail, lamenting that the courts should be shut down if they couldn’t ensure the implementation of their orders. While he had initially maintained he would continue the sit-in until a meeting was granted, he reneged and left the venue after the official time for meetings lapsed.
“It is my right to protect the public mandate and receive policy guidelines from [Imran Khan],” he said, adding he would now take his “case” to the public. Afridi is slated to participate in a public gathering in Charsadda today (Friday).