Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister (CM) Muhammad Sohail Afridi has urged rulers and decision-makers to “open their eyes” before September 27 and steer the country towards justice, constitutional supremacy and the rule of law, warning that otherwise the situation could become difficult to manage.
He was participating in a Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) protest outside the Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday to express concerns over the health of incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan and delays in his pending cases.
PTI leaders approached the SC registrar during the protest, seeking early hearings of Imran’s cases and access for his family members and personal doctors.
Afridi expressed concern over reports about Imran’s health and said that the issue should be dealt with seriously.
“We neither politicise Imran Khan’s health, nor has Imran Khan ever raised the issue of his health with the objective of seeking any form of relief,” he said.
He added that Imran should be allowed to receive treatment under the supervision of his personal physicians and in the presence of his family.
Afridi referred to Imran’s decision, while serving as prime minister, to allow former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to travel abroad for medical treatment despite questions over the authenticity of the medical certificates submitted in his case.
“Imran Khan was aware of those concerns, yet he acted in accordance with the principles of humanity and compassion and allowed Nawaz Sharif to travel abroad for medical treatment,” he said.
“Today, Imran Khan himself is being denied fundamental human rights and access to justice. This is deeply concerning and completely unacceptable,” Afridi added.
The KP chief minister alleged that Imran had been imprisoned in fabricated cases and accused his political opponents of corruption and misuse of public resources.
He alleged that they had acquired properties and assets abroad and misused the country’s wealth and resources.
Afridi mentioned that those responsible for what he described as injustice would eventually have to answer for their actions, adding that the justice system was facing a test of its institutional integrity.
“If even one judge takes a principled stand for justice, it will give other judges the courage and confidence to do the same,” he said.
“The people are looking towards the judiciary with hope. If judges do not deliver justice, and do not perform the very duties for which they draw their salaries, then where will the people turn in their pursuit of justice,” he asked.
Afridi also warned that public anger could grow if what he described as oppression and injustice continued.
He said that he could see “a spark of revolution” in the eyes of the country’s youth and warned that allowing it to intensify could make the situation increasingly difficult to contain.
The chief minister further cautioned that if public resentment continued to deepen, circumstances could reach a point where even an appeal from Imran Khan might not be enough to restore goodwill among the people.
The PTI protest was later called off after the Supreme Court registrar assured party leaders that Imran’s pending cases would be fixed for hearing next week.
