CM Afridi says weighing 'last option' to secure meeting with Imran

• KP CM says concerned grow as access to Imran denied.
• CM Afridi hails Punjab for “abstaining from by-elections”.
• Accuses federal government of Rs5,300 billion corruption.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Thursday said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was discussing its "last option" to secure a meeting with jailed party founder Imran Khan, amid rumours about his health.

The Adiala jail administration issued an update on the former premier a day earlier, following speculation about his health and relocation from the facility.

However, speaking to the media at Rawalpindi’s Gorakhpur checkpoint today, the KP chief minister said that the party's concerns were growing over the refusal to allow a meeting with the PTI founder.

He added that the party was left with its "last option" after "adopting all legal and democratic courses" to ensure a meeting with Khan inside the prison.

"We want a one-on-one meeting with PTI founder to inquire about his health," the CM said.

CM Afridi maintained that he wanted to join the earlier sit-in outside the prison; however, the PTI founder's sisters stopped him from doing so.

Khan, who has been incarcerated since August 2023, faces a plethora of cases, including corruption and terrorism, since his ouster from power via the opposition's no-trust motion in April 2022.

The Adiala jail administration, in its clarification, said that there was no truth to reports about the PTI founder's transfer from the facility.

"He is fully healthy and receiving complete medical attention," officials from the Rawalpindi prison said in a statement.

IMF 'charge sheet'

Meanwhile, the KP CM termed the recent International Monetary Fund (IMF) report "a charge sheet against the current government".

He alleged that the federal government was involved in a Rs5,300 billion corruption scandal, urging the journalist community to talk about "money which belongs to the taxpayers".

He denied agreeing to hold talks with the federal government, saying the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led government did not have a mandate.

"Negotiations were held with the government on the PTI founder's directives, but they have no authority," he added.

CM Afridi stated that 95% of people did not come out to vote in the recent by-elections after PTI announced a boycott.

"The people of Punjab expressed solidarity with the PTI founder by not voting," he added.

A video also showed the KP chief minister conversing with a station house officer (SHO) at the Gorakhpur checkpoint.

"This is the eighth time I've come — why am I not being allowed to meet the PTI founder?" he asked, while asking for the identity of the man in charge inside the prison.