LAHORE: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Monday claimed he was “abducted” by authorities in Lahore and later “thrown” by the roadside, a claim denied by Punjab Information Minister.
“We were abducted, and then, when they received pressure from somewhere, they threw me by the roadside without security and left,” Afridi claimed.
Afridi further alleged that there was a “conspiracy to abduct the chief minister of a province”, adding that he had earlier warned that “they want to divide the country”.
Speaking to Dawn, a senior KP government official accompanying Afridi said the chief minister had boarded the police van to secure the release of some detained party workers. While some workers were freed, others remained in the van, prompting Afridi to refuse to leave.
The police then drove the van a reasonable distance from the spot before removing Afridi from the vehicle, he added.
However, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari claimed that the KP chief minister had boarded a police vehicle of his own accord.
In the video shared by Bokhari, Afridi can be seen voluntarily walking towards and boarding the police vehicle. He then refuses to dismount, while an individual can be heard asking the chief minister to “please leave the vehicle”.
Speaking on Dunya News, Bokhari said that when PTI supporters swarmed the car, the police thought they were being attacked.
“There were cameras shooting them, and there was a video from inside the dala,” Azma noted. “The driver thought the vehicle was being attacked, so he drove away, but stopped a short while later and said people got off and sat on the footpath.”
Azma claimed that none of the motorists in the area bothered to note that Afridi was sitting on the footpath.
Asked if Afridi had been arrested, the minister replied in the negative, citing a lack of police at the scene and the fact that his guards and a cameraman were present.
“This is a total drama because people did not come out from Lahore and Punjab,” she added.
When asked about Afridi’s claim that he had been released under pressure and left without any security, Azma joked: “The only pressure in that scenario is his low blood pressure.”
A post on the KP chief minister’s official X account at around 9pm said Afridi “himself got on a Punjab Police van and reached a police station”. Another post, published minutes earlier, said Afridi was present with party workers at a protest rally on Lahore’s Mall Road.
‘Insult to the mandate’
KP Minister for Information Shafi Jan, in a statement, alleged that Punjab Police had attempted to abduct the KP CM, claiming that he was separated from his security detail and forcibly moved into another vehicle.
Jan alleged that Afridi was put into a police vehicle and taken to a remote area, where he was later left without his security detail after “pressure mounted”. He accused the Punjab Chief Maryam Nawaz government of “police high-handedness” and said the treatment of the elected chief minister was unconstitutional and undemocratic.
“The attempt to abduct Chief Minister Afridi will be considered an attack on the foundations of the federation,” said Jan.
He further alleged that the incident was a “dangerous attempt” to create hatred and confrontation between the two provinces, warning that any attempt to abduct an elected chief minister would be considered an attack on the foundations of the federation. He said the KP chief minister’s “humiliation” would not be tolerated.
PTI condemned the “arrest” of Afridi in Punjab, calling it an “insult” to the mandate and dignity of the people of the province.
In a statement, the party said the incident, along with recent statements by the Punjab chief minister, risked fuelling “resentment, mistrust and division” among the provinces.
PTI said it would not engage in “provincialism, ethnicity, hatred or division”, stressing that the mandate of people across all provinces must be respected.
The party urged its supporters to respond peacefully and democratically, saying repression and political victimisation would only deepen public resentment.
PTI General Secretary Salman Akram Raja said in a post on X that Afridi’s alleged abduction was an attack on the foundations of the federation and urged the police to “come to their senses”.
Afridi’s Lahore visit
Afridi turned his Lahore visit into a full-fledged political showdown, lashing out at the Punjab government, refusing security and vowing to rid the country of “fake rulers” through a nationwide street movement on Sept 27.
The KP CM changed his detailed Punjab visit plan and travelled directly to Lahore to offer condolences to the bereaved family of senior party worker, who had succumbed to his burn injuries.
As the Punjab Police escort created hurdles for party leaders and workers trying to join him, Afridi admonished the policemen, calling them “shameless” and accusing them of pushing a man to his death while he was preparing for Eid-i-Miladun Nabi celebrations. “I do not want security from a force that killed a man preparing for Eid-i-Miladun Nabi,” he said.
Responding directly to Punjab CM Maryam, who had said she felt threatened by the other three provinces, Afridi said: “The fake chief minister says she feels threatened not by India but by the other three provinces of Pakistan. I announce today that I feel no threat from my brothers and sisters in Punjab.”
The KP chief minister and his cabinet members’ convoy faced police blockades while entering Punjab and later within Lahore, where all entry and exit points had been sealed.
As Afridi and his convoy travelled through the city, tensions also ran high between police and PTI workers on several occasions, with reports of scuffles.
Earlier, the KP chief minister and his cabinet members received a rousing welcome from party workers at several points along their route. Workers chanted slogans as Afridi addressed them at Do Moriya Pul on Circular Road.
Hundreds of party workers lined the city roads, prompting the KP CM to make several stops. He waved to the crowds and raised slogans while standing through the sunroof of his vehicle.
The rally, however, caused severe traffic congestion in the Walled City, with frequent stops forcing commuters to use adjoining streets. Railway Station Road and surrounding areas, including Aik Moria Pul, Akbari Market Road, Delhi Gate, Wasanwala Bazaar and Shah Alam Market, witnessed severe traffic jams. Traffic police made unsuccessful attempts to restore the flow.
Earlier in the day, police had set up pickets on roads across the city and closed markets around the deceased party worker’s residence, as well as along major roads including Gulberg, Ferozepur Road and The Mall.
Following the imposition of Section 144 in Punjab, police attempted to disperse crowds accompanying or welcoming Afridi’s convoy and eventually arrested more than a dozen PTI workers, including PTI Lahore president Mian Akram Usman and vice-president Naeemullah Taj.
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