LAHORE: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Monday claimed that authorities in Lahore “abducted” him and later left him by the roadside.
Afridi alleged that he was taken away from the scene of a protest and separated from his security detail. However, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari rejected the claim and said the chief minister boarded a Punjab Police vehicle voluntarily.
Afridi Alleges Abduction
“We were abducted, and then, when they received pressure from somewhere, they threw me by the roadside without security and left,” Afridi claimed.
He also alleged that there was a “conspiracy to abduct the chief minister of a province”.
Afridi said he had previously warned that “they want to divide the country”.
However, Bokhari shared a video that appeared to show Afridi voluntarily walking towards and boarding a police vehicle.
The video also showed Afridi refusing to leave the vehicle. An individual could be heard asking him to “please leave the vehicle”.
KP Chief Minister Boards Police Van
A post on Afridi’s official X account around 9pm said he “himself got on a Punjab Police van and reached a police station”.
Another post, published minutes earlier, said Afridi was with party workers at a protest rally on Lahore’s Mall Road.
According to a senior KP government official accompanying Afridi, the chief minister boarded the police van to secure the release of detained party workers.
The official said some workers were released, while others remained inside the van. Afridi then refused to leave the vehicle.
The police later drove the van a considerable distance from the protest site before removing Afridi from it, the official added.
KP Minister Accuses Punjab Police
KP Information Minister Shafi Jan accused Punjab Police of attempting to abduct Afridi.
Jan claimed that police separated the chief minister from his security detail and forcibly moved him into another vehicle.
He alleged that Afridi was taken to a remote area and later left without his security detail after “pressure mounted”.
Jan also accused the Maryam Nawaz-led Punjab government of “police high-handedness”.
He described the treatment of the elected chief minister as unconstitutional and undemocratic.
Warning Over Inter-Provincial Tensions
Jan called the incident a “dangerous attempt” to create hatred and confrontation between Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He warned that any attempt to abduct an elected chief minister would amount to an attack on the foundations of the federation.
The KP minister said the “humiliation” of the chief minister would not be tolerated.
