PTI MPA accuses chief minister’s brother of meddling in constituency affairs

PESHAWAR: A Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf lawmaker in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly has accused the brother of Chief Minister Mohammad Sohail Afridi of interfering in the political and administrative matters of his constituency in Khyber tribal district.

Abdul Ghani, an MPA from the treasury benches and described as a close friend of the chief minister, raised the matter in an open letter addressed to the chief minister and shared on social media. In the letter, he said the alleged interference by Naveed was undermining his standing as an elected representative and negatively affecting his constituency.

Ghani said he had repeatedly tried to resolve the issue before making it public. He wrote that he had informed the chief minister five times, spoken to Local Government Minister Mena Khan Afridi on four occasions, requested Naveed himself several times, and even approached his family members around 10 times to ask that he stop intervening in the constituency’s affairs.

Ghani said those efforts did not produce any result and alleged that the chief minister’s brother had been regularly holding khuli kutchehry in the constituency, chairing meetings and issuing instructions to heads of district departments. He further alleged that officials were warned of action if those instructions were not carried out.

The MPA also claimed that Naveed had called meetings of senior government officers in grades BPS-19 and BPS-20, issued directions to them, and announced development projects and schemes in the constituency. He said elected representatives should at least be taken into confidence in such matters.

Ghani wrote that members of his political team had repeatedly expressed strong reservations over the situation. He added that he had continued to calm matters and maintain party discipline, saying otherwise his team would already have held a press conference over what he described as continued interference in the administrative affairs of his constituency.

Addressing the chief minister in the letter, Ghani said he had supported his leadership and government decisions and had consistently highlighted the chief minister’s role in development work in the area.

"I have always respected your leadership and worked to strengthen governmental decisions. To date, every developmental project approved or inaugurated in my constituency has prominently featured your name first – from inaugural plaques to social media – and credit for every project has been given to your leadership and the government,"

He also said he had worked to present the performance of the chief minister and the provincial government to the public in what he described as a positive and effective manner.

"Therefore, with due respect, I humbly request you to take immediate notice of this matter and stop any unwarranted interference in the administrative and political affairs of my constituency,"

Senior party figures moved to defuse the dispute soon after Ghani posted the letter on X, formerly Twitter, and some senior leaders held talks with him. The lawmaker was likely to hold a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Monday.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Shaji Jan could not be reached for the provincial government’s version despite repeated attempts.