Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has said he will continue to serve as chief minister until he receives a new directive from PTI founder Imran Khan, rejecting speculation about a possible change in the provincial government.
Speaking to reporters in Rawalpindi, Afridi said Imran Khan had previously expressed support for his continuation as chief minister and maintained that no one could remove him as long as he remained the party’s choice.
“Until a new message comes from the PTI founder, I will remain the chief minister,” Afridi said.
His remarks came amid reports of growing differences within PTI’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter. Reports of a possible forward bloc have emerged after a number of provincial lawmakers did not attend a parliamentary meeting convened by the chief minister.
Afridi rejected the reports, describing speculation about a forward bloc as “propaganda”. He said the PTI-led provincial government could only be changed on the direction of the party’s founding chairman.
The chief minister also called for Imran Khan to be shifted to Shifa International Hospital for medical treatment and urged authorities to allow the former prime minister’s family members to meet him.
Speaking about the provincial budget, Afridi said the KP cabinet had approved the budget documents and that the government would present what he described as a people-focused budget.
He said the government’s priorities included health, education, agriculture, youth development and forestry.
Afridi also alleged that reports about a forward bloc were being circulated to divert attention from the federal budget, which he said would have implications for all provinces, including Gilgit-Baltistan.
Amid the reported internal differences, PTI has constituted a six-member committee headed by Asad Qaiser to improve coordination between the party’s lawmakers and the provincial government.
The committee includes KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, Provincial General Secretary Ali Asghar Khan, provincial ministers Meena Khan Afridi and Akbar Ayub Khan, and PTI Peshawar Region President Atif Khan.
According to the party notification, the committee will work as a coordination and liaison body between PTI lawmakers, the parliamentary party and the provincial government. It will also serve as a consultative forum involving the chief minister, the provincial party leadership and the Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Aain Pakistan.
The committee has been tasked with improving coordination and addressing differences within the party’s provincial structure.
