KP's finance, terror issues, not Imran, discussed with PM Shahbaz, says CM Afridi

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has stated that no discussions were held regarding Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan or any other issue related to him during his meeting with Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Monday.

The two leaders met at the PM House in Islamabad. During the meeting, which Afridi said was held at the premier’s invitation, the two discussed issues related to KP’s finances and counterterrorism.

Speaking to the media after the hour-long meeting, Afridi clarified that the meeting primarily focused on Rs26 billion Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's financial dues outstanding against the federal government.

Afridi mentioned that Shahbaz assured him that the federal government would review the financial issues and provide necessary directions to resolve them. The chief minister emphasised that the meeting was strictly official in nature and part of his official obligations.

"If the meeting had been political, I would not have participated," he added, responding to any speculation about political discussions during the encounter.

Afridi stressed the need for continued communication and cooperation between the federal and provincial governments to address the province's ongoing financial and security challenges.

He said the provincial government would continue its efforts to ensure the welfare of the people while remaining within constitutional limits.

Earlier, Afridi announced that he would soon convene a grand jirga for consultations with stakeholders across his province for a protest march on Islamabad.

He shared his plans at a jirga at Jamrud Sports Complex Khyber, which he had announced last Sunday while responding to the federal government’s stance that neither the Centre, nor the military, had issued any directives for the "depopulation” of the Tirah Valley.

The federal and provincial governments have been trading barbs over who authorised the evacuation process in the valley after hundreds of Tirah residents vacated their homes amid concerns about a planned military action.

The evacuations, which were carried out in line with a plan agreed upon by all stakeholders - including local elders, the provincial government and the military - seem to have become a bone of contention after the displaced populace found themselves stranded in cold weather under open skies, with mismanagement by the authorities only adding to their troubles.

The federal government also insisted that the movement was actually seasonal migration and a routine practice, further maintaining that no military action had been planned for Tirah.

Afridi asked those attending the gathering if they would accompany him for a protest march towards Islamabad to express their resentment against the "atrocities” which the people of Tirah had been subjected to, their "forced displacement” and the "government’s U-turn on the military operation.”

He said he would soon undertake a visit to merged districts to take their residents into confidence and would then convene a grand jirga prior to announcing a date for a protest march towards the federal capital.

"We will assert at the grand jirga that only people are entitled to rule Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as it belongs to them, and that no decisions made behind closed doors in Islamabad will be acceptable any more,” he said, among vociferous sloganeering from the emotionally charged audience