The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Sunday confirmed media reports of an unpublicized meeting between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and party Chairman Gohar Ali Khan, though portrayed it as means to discuss security concerns of the province.
Responding to the reports, PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram told Geo News the May 14 meeting had focused on the issue of terrorism in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, particularly Bannu. He further claimed the interior minister had “mostly discussed how terrorism can be controlled,” discussing means to improve coordination and response measures to address the security situation.
Separately, Imran Khan’s sister Aleema rubbished reports suggesting she was part of the meeting. “Barrister Gohar and Sohail Afridi met Mohsin Naqvi. Our family had no knowledge of this meeting, and neither was any family member present,” she wrote on X.
Finally, the chief minister also posted on X, reiterating that the meeting had focused on “the terrorist incidents that took place in Bannu and the province’s law and order situation, and no political discussions took place in it that are being reported.” However, he did not explain why a meeting pertaining to security matters had remained off-the-record and was not made public.
According to multiple reports on the meeting, the PTI leaders sought to secure relief for Khan and his wife, Bushra, with a series of confidence-building measures planned from both sides. The “deal,” if materialized, could see Khan’s meetings with his family restored and may even lead to his transfer to hospital for treatment of an eye condition that he is presently being treated for in Adiala Jail.