Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi accused Punjab’s government and police of political victimisation during a visit to Lahore (Express Tribune).
Why he was there
To pay respects over the death of PTI activist Ishtiaq Ahmad.
PTI says Ahmad suffered burns to 70 percent of his body after falling into boiling oil amid chaos during a police raid ahead of Eid Miladun Nabi, and died despite treatment.
That is the party’s account. No police version has been reported, no inquiry has been announced, and this newspaper has not been able to verify the circumstances.
What he said
Refusing Punjab government security: “Punjab is mine, Pakistan is mine. I have come here as an ordinary citizen. I refuse to accept your security.”
On the Punjab chief minister: “The fake chief minister of Punjab claims she feels threatened by the three provinces of Pakistan but not by India.”
The detentions alleged
Opposition Leader Moeen Qureshi said attempts were made to arrest him, along with Senator Aoun Abbas, and that they were prevented from attending funeral rites.
PTI Punjab information secretary Shaukat Basra reported late-night raids and the detention of hundreds of party workers, including women.
The context these claims sit in
Punjab imposed Section 144 across the province from 13 to 17 September, banning gatherings of five or more — a window that covers precisely this visit. PTI had already said 54 workers were arrested in southern Punjab.
A rally proceeded to the Data Darbar shrine, disrupting traffic across central Lahore.
A note on the Maryam Nawaz exchange
Afridi’s jibe refers to the remark this newspaper has covered since 6 September, which has produced a bar association demand for an apology and a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly resolution seeking Article 6 proceedings. We wrote on 12 September that reaching for the treason article devalues it. Calling a sitting chief minister “fake” belongs to the same inflation.
What is not established
None of the arrest or detention figures has been independently confirmed, and the Punjab government and police had not responded at the time of writing. No post-mortem or inquiry finding on Ahmad’s death has been reported.
[Image: Geo News screengrab via The Express Tribune]
