Afridi says protest 'only option' left

KARACHI:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Monday said that repeated denial of access to jailed party founder Imran Khan had left him with no option but to resort to protest politics, warning that the Constitution and the rule of law were being openly violated across the country.

Addressing a ceremony at the Sindh High Court (SHC), Afridi said he wanted to meet his party leader, but his pleas had gone unheard. "When one is pushed against the wall, protest remains the only option," he asserted, adding that protest politics was pursued only when no constitutional avenue remained.

He said Imran Khan was leading the struggle for "real freedom", remained Pakistan's most popular leader. However, he lamented that Imran was imprisoned without even being granted meetings, despite court orders.

According to Afridi, three judges of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had permitted him to meet Imran Khan, but the orders were ignored by a jail superintendent. He said this was not a personal insult but a grave disrespect to the judiciary and the legal profession.

He added that after assuming office as chief minister, he had written letters to the prime minister, the chief minister of Punjab and the chief justice, but received no response at any level.

"This is not just an attack on institutions, the entire country is paying the price," he said, warning that justice was being reduced to a commodity while national assets were being sold off.

'Justice thrown into the dustbin'

In an official statement issued by the Office of the Press Secretary, Chief Minister's Secretariat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Afridi said that the Constitution and law were being openly violated.

"On one side, national assets are being sold, and on the other side, justice has been reduced to a commodity and court orders are being openly thrown into the dustbin. The nation's most popular leader remains in jail, and the Constitution is being trampled through the use of force."

He said that unless the judiciary was free and lawyers stood united, Pakistan could not move forward as a constitutional and democratic state.

Afridi expressed these views while addressing the Sindh High Court Bar Association during his visit to Sindh. The final day of the visit began with a visit to the mausoleum of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, where he offered Fateha and laid a floral wreath.

Later, addressing the Bar Association, he thanked the lawyers for the warm reception and described the people of Sindh as brave, courageous and hospitable.

However, he regretted that the incumbent Sindh government had failed to respect guests and had even compromised the dignity of Sindhi cultural symbols such as the Ajrak and Sindhi cap.