PESHAWAR – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Wednesday lashed out at Governor Faisal Karim Kundi for presiding over a rare high-level meeting, describing it as deeply regrettable and unconstitutional.
Addressing a meeting of the provincial cabinet, the CM said the province has a duly elected government with a two-thirds majority, while the Provincial Assembly, Cabinet and government are fully functional and firmly in place.
He said the governor’s summoning of the Chief Secretary and Inspector General of Police and convening of such a meeting was an assault on the Constitution and democratic order. “In the presence of a provincial government enjoying a two-thirds majority, convening such a meeting is unacceptable.”
The CM said the constitution provides a clear mechanism for removing a sitting Chief Minister through a vote of no-confidence. “If anyone has an issue with the Chief Minister, the constitutional procedure must be followed.”
“The objective behind these unconstitutional activities is to provoke the Provincial Government and compel it to react in a manner that could further destabilise the situation,” he said.
“We will remain peaceful and will speak only within the framework of the Constitution and the law.” He said that the Pakistan Peoples Party had played a wrong role in the past as well, and its current actions appeared to be an attempt to create circumstances similar to those that led to another East Pakistan.
The party that raises the slogan of democracy had, in the past, separated Bangladesh from Pakistan for its personal interests, Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said. Prioritising personal interests over national interests has remained the PPP’s practice. We will not allow any conspiracy to break Pakistan to succeed. “We will not allow any conspiracy against the unity and integrity of Pakistan to succeed,” he said.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) long march ended in Bara in Khyber district on its fourth day on Wednesday, after the party held large gatherings in Kohat and Khyber, with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi leading the procession.
The march will resume from the Hayatabad Toll Plaza at 2pm on Thursday, according to the schedule issued by the party.
The procession will travel from Peshawar towards Charsadda, passing through Ring Road, Bhanamari, Kohati, Ganj and Jamil Chowk before heading to Charsadda.
Earlier on Wednesday, the long march caravan departed from Mattani for Khyber, following a change in its route announced a day earlier. The party had said the march would first head towards Khyber before proceeding to Peshawar.Addressing a crowd on Frontier Road in Mattani, Afridi said that he could bring peace to K-P “in 100 days” with a policy.
“I will give a policy and will bring peace to K-P within 100 days, but your intention is not to bring peace. You are the enemy of Pashtuns, and there is a mindset that considers Pashtuns as cattle. I will not accept the policy that goes against us. I will give you a policy, and you will have to accept it, and that policy will bring peace”.
The Chief Minister said the security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had continued to deteriorate following the re-settling of terrorists in the province by the federal government. “Fourteen thousand intelligence-based operations and 22 major military operations over 22 years have not delivered sustainable peace,” he said.
“After the loss of 80,000 precious lives, the continued absence of lasting peace is a failure of state policy.” He said the federal government must reconsider its counter-terrorism approach if it was genuinely committed to restoring sustainable peace. “The argument that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is not cooperating is not acceptable. Balochistan is also cooperating with the federal government, yet peace has not been achieved there either. The current federal policy is therefore proving ineffective in both provinces.”
The Chief Minister said a policy developed in consultation with the stakeholders of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa could establish peace within 100 days. “We have to fight terrorism, but we also have to address the consequences of policies that have contributed to instability in the province,” he said.
He said the provincial government had continued to strengthen the police, Counter Terrorism Department and Special Branch since he assumed office on October 15, 2025. “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police, unlike any other in the country, has modern weapons and equipment, while substantial investment is being made to strengthen the CTD’s infrastructure and the Special Branch,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the federal government had consistently treated Khyber Pakhtunkhwa unfairly. “The tribal districts were merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2018, but their financial integration remains incomplete,” he said. “The financial rights committed at the time of the merger have still not been fully provided.”
He said that the federal government had repeatedly imposed military operations on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “People displaced as a result of federal policies have been left on the streets, while full compensation remains outstanding,” he said, adding that approximately Rs100 billion in compensation for affected families in the merged districts remained unpaid.
The Chief Minister said families whose homes were destroyed, whose livelihoods were disrupted and whose mosques were demolished were still struggling to receive compensation. “For families that made sacrifices for Pakistan, compensation of only Rs400,000 per household was fixed, and even this amount has not been paid,” he said.
Referring to the situation at Baka Khel camp, he said a commitment had been made to provide between Rs370 million and Rs380 million per month to internally displaced persons from North Waziristan, but the promised amount was still not being provided. “The Provincial Government has a responsibility to stand with people displaced by policies beyond their control,” he said. “Since assuming office, we have provided Rs21 billion for displaced persons.”
The Chief Minister said the Provincial Government was also required to bear the financial burden arising from the consequences of military operations and drone strikes, despite these matters being linked to decisions taken at the federal level. “Those making decisions in Islamabad do not experience the hardships those decisions impose on the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he said.
“If the federal government is genuinely committed to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, it should revise the province’s NFC share and clear outstanding dues owed to a province that has sacrificed 80,000 lives in the fight against terrorism,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the Provincial Government and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police remained fully committed to maintaining law and order. “Using the police as personal servants and deploying them for purposes unrelated to public security is unacceptable,” he said. He said the police and civil administration had made enormous sacrifices in the fight against terrorism and had played a critical role in moving the province away from years of bombings, armed violence and insecurity towards peace and stability.
The Chief Minister said that Provincial Minister Fazal Shakoor Khan had been picked up despite being a member of the Provincial Cabinet, while PTI workers had been injured in Waziristan. He said that Shakeel Khan was fired upon directly, and when Gunda was injured in the retaliatory firing, he was declared to be “their own man. These actions are intended to provoke the Provincial Government and compel it to make statements that could further deteriorate the situation,” he said.
The Chief Minister clarified that he is a soldier of Imran Khan, and he has taught us throughout our political journey never to engage in unconstitutional or unlawful conduct,” the Chief Minister said. He directed the Inspector General of Police and Chief Secretary not to comply with any order that was unconstitutional or unlawful.
He also ordered an immediate inquiry into allegations against the Station House Officer of Lachi. “The Lachi SHO was behaving not as a police officer but as a strongman,” he said, directing that allegations of extorting money from citizens at gunpoint be investigated and that the officer be removed from his post pending due process.
The Chief Minister reiterated that the people, police and administration of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had made unparalleled sacrifices for Pakistan and that the Provincial Government would continue to uphold the Constitution, the rule of law, democratic institutions and the legitimate rights of the people of the province.
