• Uzma says PTI founder has given Sohail Afridi complete authority to pick ‘a small team’
• CM vows to file contempt plea over Adiala jail restrictions
• KP opposition says absence of cabinet impacting govt affairs
ISLAMABAD/PESHAWAR: After Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was once again barred from meeting his incarcerated party founder, Imran Khan’s sister told the newly appointed CM he had “complete authority” to form the provincial cabinet.
On Tuesday, CM Afridi arrived in Rawalpindi for a third time to meet Imran Khan in the Adiala jail, ostensibly to discuss the KP cabinet formation. However, he was not allowed to meet the party chief despite court orders in this regard.
Meanwhile, KP opposition members in the provincial assembly criticised the PTI over its failure to form the provincial cabinet, saying the government affairs had come to a halt. The lawmakers also feared that the prolonged delay in the cabinet formation was tantamount to inviting the imposition of an emergency in the province.
Last week, CM Afridi was denied the meeting and held a brief sit-in before returning empty-handed. This time, he said he’d move a contempt of court petition to contest the restrictions.
Speaking to media persons outside the prison, CM Afridi said he would file a contempt plea in the Islamabad High Court. He said it was his constitutional right to meet the PTI founder, as he was nominated by Imran Khan and was the representative of the people of KP.
He reiterated that he wanted to seek guidance from the party founder regarding the composition of the provincial cabinet and vowed to nominate ministers after meeting with Mr Khan.
However, Uzma Khanum, who was allowed to meet her brother on Monday, told reporters that Mr Khan wanted Sohail Afridi to go ahead with cabinet formation.
Speaking to the media outside Adiala, Ms Khanum said she had a message for the KP CM, since he could not meet the former premier.
“The CM should form a cabinet of his choice and as per the need of the hour,” the PTI founder was quoted as saying by his sister.
The message called on CM Afridi to “pick a small team”, while Ms Khanum said her brother had not proposed any names for inclusion in the provincial cabinet.
She said Imran Khan had also expressed concerns over the delay in the notification of Mahmood Khan Achakzai as the National Assembly opposition leader. She clarified that only party secretary Salman Akram Raja was empowered to relay messages to the party on Mr Khan’s behalf, to avoid confusion.
Deployment of troops in Gaza
Meanwhile, the PTI demanded clarification from the federal government regarding reports of the proposed deployment of Pakistani troops in Gaza. “The decision to send Pakistan’s armed forces to Gaza is an extremely sensitive national matter which must only be made through transparent consultation and with broad national consensus,” the party said, asking the government to take parliament, the political leadership, and the nation into confidence.
Mohammad Ashfaq in Peshawar also contributed to this report
Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2025
