Authorities barred from arresting Sohail Afridi as PHC grants protective bail to KP CM

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday granted protective bail to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi till November 18 and barred the authorities from arresting him while seeking the details of cases registered against him.

The decision was announced by PHC's two-member bench, comprising Justice Ijaz Anwar and Justice Muhammad Naeem Anwar while hearing a plea filed by CM Afridi seeking protective bail and details of the case registered against him.

During the hearing today, Justice Ijaz questioned about which first information report (FIR) is CM Afridi named in.

To this, the KP advocate general said that: "We ourselves do not know, maybe I am also nominated in [any] FIR".

Speaking to the media today, CM Afridi, who was sworn in as the province's chief executive a day earlier by Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, said that he hasn't received a reply on his request to meet incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan in Rawalpindi's Adiala jail.

"The Centre [federal government] should think that the [KP] CM is coming to meet [PTI founder]. No work will be done without the instructions of the PTI founder," Afridi remarked.

The CM has left for Islamabad, where he will discuss the formation of the provincial cabinet and other issued with the PTI founder.

Afridi's journey to the CM's office was marred with controversy triggered by the rejection of his predecessor Ali Amin Gandapur's resignation by Governor Kundi, who administered oath to Afridi on the directives of the PHC.

Afridi — a young PTI leader — hails from Bara tehsil of Khyber district and last held the portfolio of provincial minister for higher education. He is regarded among the party’s most ideological and grassroots-based workers, having been associated with PTI since his student years.

However, his nomination for the office of the CM prompted strong reaction from the federal government which accused the former ruling party of having a soft corner for terrorists.

The newly-elected CM has been directed by Khan to collaborate with all relevant stakeholders in developing an effective and comprehensive strategy to combat terrorism in the province.

Meanwhile, in his victory speech in the assembly, Afridi called for the review of the country's Afghanistan policy and taking local representatives and elders into confidence on the issue of terrorism.