Only a message from Adiala Jail can remove me': CM KP Sohail Afridi

RAWALPINDI: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has asserted that “no power” can remove him from his post, as he was appointed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan, ARY News reported.

Speaking to the media at the Factory Checkpost in Rawalpindi, Sohail Afridi stated that he would remain the Chief Minister unless a direct message to the contrary comes from Adiala Jail.

He claimed that no one has the authority to dismiss the KP government except the party’s founding chairman, adding that all party MPAs stand united under the PTI flag.

Critiquing the federal government’s upcoming budget, Afridi warned that it would “suck the blood of the masses once again,” pointing out that Pakistan’s internal and external loans have now surpassed 97,000 billion rupees.

He noted that the government’s tax collection fell short of its targets and alleged that the budget would be passed through political compromise (“give and take”).

He added that the trade deficit is on the rise, with the entire financial burden ultimately being shifted onto the public.

The Chief Minister also demanded that Imran Khan be transferred to Shifa International Hospital, where he could receive treatment under the supervision of his personal doctors and in the presence of his family. He accused the government of having ulterior motives for denying meetings with the PTI founder.

“If they are not allowing me to meet Imran Khan, they should at least allow his family to meet him,” Afridi urged.

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Reiterating that PTI is synonymous with Imran Khan, he maintained that rumors of a “forward block” within the KP assembly are mere propaganda designed to distract the public while the government prepares a harsh budget.