CM Afridi pledges action against officials who 'undermined people's mandate'

• CM Afridi vows accountability for undermining elections.
• CM Afridi criticises "defective" KP police vehicles.
• KP CM to reward officials who "stood by the people".
  

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi vowed on Monday to hold government officials accountable, who, he said, "undermined the people's mandate" during the general elections held last year.

Afridi was elected KP CM on October 13, days after firebrand Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ali Amin Gandapur resigned from the top post, at the direction of party founder Imran Khan.

Chairing a high-level meeting on law and order, and governance — his first since taking office as CM — he directed the KP chief secretary to identify those who, according to him, went against the people during the polls.

"An attempt was made to rob people of their mandate on February 8, [2024]. Unfortunately, some government officials failed to bear pressure. Some did not protect people's mandate," he said, while announcing rewards for officials who "stood by the people" during the 2024 general election.

The 2024 polls saw PTI candidates contest as independents as the Election Commission of Pakistan stripped the party of its 'bat' symbol. As a result, the Khan-founded party was also unable to secure reserved seats in all assemblies.

PTI, however, formed a government in KP with Gandapur as its chief minister.

The party has staged several protests nationwide since the 2024 general election, alleging both pre- and post-poll rigging across the country.

Meanwhile, CM Afridi, in the meeting, ordered the return of the bulletproof vehicles provided by the interior ministry to the KP police, citing their low quality.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday presented the keys of the vehicles to KP Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed during a ceremony in Islamabad.

Officials said that the provision of bulletproof vehicles was aimed at enhancing the operational capacity and safety of police engaged in security operations across the province.

The KP CM said that vehicles provided to the police were defective and old, terming them "an insult to the KP police".