RAWALPINDI: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was once again barred from meeting PTI founder Imran Khan at Adiala Jail on Thursday — the ninth such attempt denied by prison authorities.
Imran’s sister, Uzma Khan, was finally able to see him on Tuesday after weeks of effort, while Afridi and other party leaders had been scheduled to meet him today. Her visit came amid renewed speculation in local and foreign media about Imran’s health, despite assurances from both the government and PTI that the former prime minister remains in good physical condition.
These rumours have persisted largely due to the government’s refusal in recent weeks to allow family members, party officials, and his legal team to see him.
According to a statement on X, the PTI said CM Afridi arrived at Adiala Jail to meet Imran but was again denied access.
Speaking to reporters outside the prison, Afridi said he would soon announce his next steps — including whether he planned to stage a sit-in. PTI also released a video showing Afridi and his delegation waiting inside a jail reception room, noting that it marked the ninth time the chief minister had been blocked.
“I think the meeting is simply not being allowed,” Afridi told the media after exiting the facility. “A chief minister has come here repeatedly, yet even a five-minute meeting is not granted. The whole world is witnessing this discriminatory treatment. This government will not last forever, and their actions will be remembered.”
Asked whether he intended to spend another night outside Adiala in protest, Afridi said Uzma’s meeting had confirmed Imran’s physical well-being, and the party would now finalise a strategy regarding concerns about his mental stress.
“I have been told to play on the front foot — but also warned that the umpires are colluding,” he said. “So we will play on the front foot and keep an eye on the umpires.”
Afridi added that the repeated refusal for a meeting showed that “our presence bothers them, so we will continue to return and cause that discomfort”. Street protests, he said, remained a constitutional option for the PTI.
Responding to a question about the possible imposition of governor’s rule in KP, Afridi said: “What are they waiting for? Impose it today. We are not afraid. They won’t be able to manage the situation I foresee.”
He accused the federal government of being unable to tolerate a chief minister from the tribal districts, warning that any move to remove him would provoke anger among residents of the merged tribal areas.
“The people of KP and Pakistan see their future in me,” he claimed, adding that governor’s rule would, in fact, be a “win-win” for him because it would free him from administrative constraints. Afridi said he plans to visit Punjab soon.
