KP CM alleges police abuse in Lahore as Punjab govt questions his visit

KP CM alleges police abuse in Lahore as Punjab govt questions his visit.

Key points

• Ahmad Fraz Khan Published September 15, 2026 Updated September 15, 2026 08: 31pm.
• While the Medical Stores Association in KP was additionally observing a separate strike, she remarked young doctors in Dera Ismail Khan were on strike over their demands.
• Ahmad Fraz Khan is a Lahore-based reporter for Dawn with four decades of experience in the field.
• Afridi described the episode as his "abduction", alleging that he was driven around Lahore for regarding 15 minutes without any security before being left on the roadside.
• Afridi remarked he had remained in Lahore and would resume the street movement at 5pm.

Ahmad Fraz Khan Published September 15, 2026 Updated September 15, 2026 08: 31pm. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

LAHORE: On the second day of his visit to Lahore, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi reiterated allegations of police abuse against his party workers, prompting the Punjab administration to question his presence in Lahore and remind him of the governance challenges and protests facing his own province.

In a video message, CM Afridi alleged that Punjab police had blocked routes, arrested party workers and removed tents from a protest camp as supporters gathered for the ongoing street movement. He additionally maintained that police had switched off lights along some routes and closed petrol stations to prevent vehicles carrying protesters from refuelling.

Afridi remarked he had remained in Lahore and would resume the street movement at 5pm. He asserted that numerous Lahore residents had joined the movement on Monday despite his party not having issued a formal call for a protest.

"We had not informed anyone where we were going. The individuals of Lahore came out themselves, " he stated.

According to the KP CM, police detained a number of party workers in prison vans. He remarked he stood on top of one of the vehicles in protest and was afterwards taken away in another police van after sitting inside it.

He termed the incident a serious security risk and accused the Punjab administration and police of attempting to suppress his party's political activities through what he described as a "well-planned conspiracy".

While accusing the Punjab police of being politicised, the KP CM further alleged that raids were being conducted at people's homes and that children were being abducted. He cautioned that his party would respond strongly if its activities continued to be obstructed.

Afterwards, Afridi chaired a gathering of Punjab parliamentarians. Party leaders discussed further public mobilisation, with the CM reiterating his claim that Lahore residents had joined the movement without a formal protest call. Afridi remarked he was confident that the movement would succeed on Sept 27 and called on residents to come out of their homes.

Meanwhile, the Punjab administration, even so, offered a contrasting account of the situation. Punjab Information and Culture Minister Azma Bokhari remarked medical staff and other employees in KP were protesting and observing strikes while Afridi and members of his cabinet were in Lahore.

While the Medical Stores Association in KP was additionally observing a separate strike, she remarked young doctors in Dera Ismail Khan were on strike over their demands. According to Bokhari, patients and their attendants at administration hospitals were facing difficulties as of the protests.

She additionally stated employees of Gomal University were continuing their protest, arguing that a number of sections of KP's public sector were affected by industrial action.

"If Sohail Afridi chose to sit on the footpath at Lakshmi Chowk of his own accord, it is being described as a conspiracy against KP, " she remarked, referring to the KP CM's account of events in Lahore.

Bokhari pressed Afridi and his cabinet to return to KP and focus on provincial affairs, saying they had seen Lahore's development and should now "go and look after their own province".

She additionally criticised the KP administration over what she described as incompetence, inefficiency and corruption, and accused the CM of being more concerned with the political situation surrounding a jailed party leader than with the challenges facing residents in KP.

For context, the competing statements reflect broader political tensions between the Punjab and KP governments.

Ahmad Fraz Khan is a Lahore-based reporter for Dawn with four decades of experience in the field. His reporting portfolio includes coverage of agriculture, the energy sector, and religio-political parties. He can be discovered on X at @AFKhan.

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