KP CM Sohail Afridi Alleges Attempt on His Life in Wazirabad; Police Deny Claim
WAZIRABAD, PAKISTAN — WEB DESK: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi alleged on Wednesday that an armed man was sent to kill him during his visit to Wazirabad, but Gujranwala police rejected the allegation and said the detained individual was actually a police constable assigned to security duty.
The sharply conflicting accounts emerged as Afridi continued his political activities in Punjab ahead of a planned nationwide protest and long march announced by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
In a video statement, Afridi said the incident occurred after he travelled from Sialkot to Wazirabad during his Punjab street movement.
The chief minister alleged that a man dressed in plain clothes approached his convoy with the intention of killing him but was caught by his security team.
Afridi said a pistol was recovered from the detained individual before he was handed over to local police.
“A pistol was recovered from the person who was caught, and he was handed over to the local police,” Afridi said, according to Geo News.
Gujranwala Police Reject Afridi’s Account
Gujranwala police issued a significantly different account of the incident.
Police said the man detained by Afridi’s security team was a police official who had been deployed for the chief minister’s security rather than an attacker.
According to police, the constable was detained despite showing his police identification card and was subjected to violence.
Police said the constable was assaulted in the presence of the City Wazirabad police station SHO, who intervened and rescued him. Authorities condemned describing an officer deployed on security duty as a “killer.”
Independent reporting also describes the detained individual as a plainclothes police officer assigned to security duty, based on the Gujranwala police account.
The competing versions mean there is currently no independently established evidence that an assassination attempt occurred.
The confirmed development is that Afridi has made the allegation, while Gujranwala police have formally rejected it and identified the detained man as one of their own personnel.
Afridi Makes Additional Allegations
Afridi also alleged that electricity was disconnected at a house where he stayed in Sialkot and that its generator was damaged.
He said similar disruption occurred after he moved to the residence of Umar Dar, where he alleged electricity was again disconnected and the generator damaged.
Those allegations have not been independently established in the material reviewed.
The Wazirabad controversy comes just two days after another dispute between Afridi and Punjab authorities during his visit to Lahore.
Earlier Lahore Incident Also Disputed
Afridi alleged on Monday that authorities had “abducted” him in Lahore and later left him by the roadside without security.
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari rejected that account and said the KP chief minister had entered a Punjab Police vehicle voluntarily.
A senior KP government official travelling with Afridi provided a more detailed account, saying the chief minister had entered the police van while attempting to secure the release of detained PTI workers.
The KP government has nevertheless maintained that Afridi was mistreated. KP Information Minister Shafi Jan described the alleged separation of the chief minister from his security and his subsequent treatment as a serious and unacceptable act.
The latest Wazirabad incident therefore comes amid an already tense political dispute between PTI-linked officials in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Punjab administration.
PTI Preparing for September 27 Protest
Afridi has been touring Punjab as part of PTI’s political mobilisation.
The party has announced nationwide protests and a long march towards Islamabad on September 27, seeking the release of imprisoned PTI founder Imran Khan.
Afridi had spent Tuesday visiting different areas of Lahore in connection with the movement before travelling onward.
His activities have generated a series of confrontations and competing allegations between PTI leaders and Punjab authorities.
Dawn reported Wednesday that Afridi claimed more than 2,000 PTI workers had been detained during the preceding two days, while Punjab officials rejected his wider allegations and criticised his political activities in the province.
What Is Confirmed So Far?
The most important editorial distinction is that the reported attempt on Afridi’s life is an allegation, not a verified assassination attempt.
Afridi says:
- An armed plainclothes man was sent to kill him.
- His security team detained the individual.
- A pistol was recovered.
- The man was handed over to local police.
Gujranwala police say:
- The detained man was a police constable.
- He was assigned to security duty.
- He showed his police identification.
- He was assaulted after being detained.
- The local SHO intervened and rescued him.
No independent investigation or evidence reviewed so far establishes that the constable intended to attack Afridi.
For this reason, headlines and social-media posts should not state “assassination attempt on KP CM” as an established fact. The accurate framing is that Afridi alleges an attempt on his life and police dispute his account.
