LAHORE: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi expressed strong positions on multiple issues including current government conduct and the national economy while speaking to journalists at the Punjab Assembly. He stated that he had come to meet organizational friends. He criticised police misconduct and arrests of workers at Chakri Interchange, saying that fascism continues against his workers and the fake government is persistently committing excesses. Criticizing the federal government, he said that a government occupying seventeen seats has been brought in while the stock exchange is rising, but the debt has increased from thirteen billion rupees to eighty thousand billion rupees. Afridi said that major industries are leaving the country. The person who made tall claims about paying off debt by selling clothes has sold Pakistan International Airlines. He stated that Pakistanis consider themselves unsafe and the country’s future has become dark. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister alleged that decisions are being imposed in closed rooms. He raised the question of what the government’s priorities are when industry and economic structure are declining. Their priorities involve banning meetings with the PTI Chairman. If their priorities lie in bending and intimidating the founder, then the country will not function. He said that rudeness and discourtesy were shown to him and other parliamentarians. Sohail Afridi said that he would leave Lahore with so much civility that they would learn these ethics. When a journalist asked about Lahore, he sarcastically remarked that it seems this question was sent to you on WhatsApp. Meanwhile, incidents of commotion occurred during the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister’s arrival at the Punjab Assembly. According to reports, scuffles broke out between security guards accompanying the Chief Minister and Punjab Assembly security guards. With the Chief Minister’s arrival, a large number of people entered the Assembly which worsened the situation. Pushing and shoving occurred between guards from both sides on the Assembly stairs. During this time, an incident of violence against journalists also took place. The Chief Minister’s guards pushed journalists. Provincial Information Minister Azma Bukhari strongly condemned the incident, stating that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister’s guards proved they are devoid of civility. She said such incidents will not be tolerated. Azma Bukhari stated that she had already said their agenda is only to create chaos and they can never refrain from mischief. Incidents of guards pushing individuals who came with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government Minister Meena Khan also came to light. Reports indicate that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa guards took the law into their hands. The list provided to the Assembly Secretariat did not include the names of Meena Khan and Fateh Khan Burki. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025