Allegations surrounding Chief Minister (CM) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Sohail Afridi’s alleged abduction in Lahore have drawn scrutiny, with government representatives accusing him of seeking chaos while journalists are questioning how the alleged arrest could have taken place when Afridi was seen sitting inside a police van and recording a video.
Speaking to a private news channel, Rana Sanaullah said that Afridi was not fulfilling the responsibilities of his office and was instead looking for an incident that could create chaos.
“Look, the Chief Minister is not fulfilling the responsibilities of his office and instead, he is searching for chaos and turmoil. He is searching street by street, lane by lane, hoping that some incident will occur that causes turmoil and chaos,” Sanaullah said.
“He tried to get himself abducted; he sat inside a police van himself. So the police personnel went to the next checkpoint and explained to him, ‘Sir, why did you sit with us? Neither have we arrested you, nor do we have any such orders.’ Then he got down there at the next checkpoint,” Sanaullah stated.
Sanaullah also said that the government and police were trying to prevent Afridi from getting an opportunity to create an incident that could bring disrepute to Pakistan.
Journalist Mohammad Malick asked Rana Sanaullah whether the KP chief minister’s actions amounted to a political drama and whether his account was false.
“This is completely a lie, and you used the word ‘drama.’ You can call it a drama too,” he replied.
He said that Afridi had followed the same approach during his visit to Sindh and was now doing so in Punjab.
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari also questioned Afridi’s account while speaking on another private news channel, pointing to the presence of a cameraman, guard and police personnel when the KP CM claimed he had been abducted.
She said that PTI supporters had failed to bring people out in Lahore and they are “mentally ill”. She also questioned how Afridi could have been abducted and then recorded a video shortly afterwards.
Bokhari also posted on X that Afridi and his supporters had created another “drama scene”, claiming they had entered the police van themselves.
“Behold another drama scene: they went and sat in the police van themselves, the police are telling them to get off, they scolded and shoved aside their own guard for blocking their drama, scripted and lazy acting. We’re giving them respect, but they don’t even deserve it,” she wrote.
Journalist Mansoor Ali Khan, meanwhile, questioned the circumstances of the incident in his vlog, saying that Afridi went and sat inside the police van before a party worker began claiming that the KP CM had been arrested.
Khan said that the Punjab Police had to balance stopping protests with ensuring the security of those involved.
He also pointed out that a person was sitting with Afridi inside the van was recording a live video during the episode. “So, if they wanted to arrest Sohail Afridi, is this how someone is arrested? That a person sits inside the van and makes a video,” Khan questioned.
Afridi had earlier claimed that authorities abducted him in Lahore and later left him by the roadside after being pressurised. A senior KP government official accompanying him said that the CM boarded the police van to secure the release of detained party workers and refused to leave after some workers remained inside.
The incident took place during Afridi’s Lahore visit, where police had imposed Section 144 and arrested more than a dozen PTI workers. His convoy also faced police blockades at different points, while clashes and traffic disruptions were reported during the visit.
