Sohail Afridi Accuses PPP of Policies That Risk National Division
PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN — WEB DESK: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has launched a sharp attack on the Pakistan Peoples Party, comparing the current political situation with the events surrounding the separation of East Pakistan in 1971 as tensions between the opposition and ruling coalition intensify.
Afridi accused the PPP of pursuing policies that he claimed could deepen political divisions in the country, describing its current actions as an attempt to create conditions resembling those that preceded the East Pakistan crisis.
His remarks represent a political allegation and no evidence has been established showing that current developments pose a comparable threat to Pakistan’s territorial integrity.
The chief minister also criticised the federal government and its political allies over their handling of PTI and the administration in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Afridi maintained that his government had a strong mandate in the provincial assembly and said any effort to remove his administration should follow constitutional procedures.
His comments come amid an escalating political confrontation involving PTI’s protest campaign and its demands concerning jailed former prime minister Imran Khan.
Afridi has repeatedly accused the federal authorities of unfairly treating Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and restricting PTI’s political activities.
The KP chief minister has previously invoked the East Pakistan crisis while discussing political tensions. In September, he alleged that rhetoric against Pashtuns represented an attempt to create divisions in the country, while insisting that his party would pursue its campaign peacefully and within constitutional limits.
He has also criticised road closures and restrictions affecting movement between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other parts of the country.
The federal government and its allies have rejected PTI’s pressure tactics, maintaining that political disagreements should be addressed through negotiations rather than protests that disrupt public life.
The latest exchange underscores the increasingly confrontational rhetoric surrounding the political standoff as both sides continue to dispute the handling of PTI’s protest campaign and relations between the federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments.
