PESHAWAR: Awami National Party (ANP) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa spokesperson Arsalan Khan Nazim has criticised Chief Minister Sohail Afridi over his visit to Sindh, questioning who is currently running the province amid what he described as a worsening security and governance situation.
In a statement, Nazim said the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were searching for their chief minister, while the chief minister, along with members of his cabinet, had travelled to Sindh instead of focusing on the province’s pressing problems.
He claimed that from September 3 to September 7, KP would effectively remain without a chief minister available to address the issues faced by the public.
The ANP spokesperson said the province was going through a serious situation, with increasing incidents of terrorism, police personnel losing their lives and police officials being compelled to protest.
He also alleged that KP was being deprived of its constitutional and financial rights, while citizens were facing inflation, insecurity and what he described as government incompetence.
Nazim further criticised the chief minister for allegedly giving greater attention to a political movement and “a prisoner” rather than addressing the province’s problems.
He said it was perhaps unprecedented in the country’s political history for an ostensibly elected chief minister to put government responsibilities aside to lead a political campaign.
According to the ANP spokesperson, political parties generally keep organisational activities separate from government responsibilities because running a government is a serious, full-time responsibility.
“Here, the situation is the opposite,” he said, alleging that governance and public issues had become secondary and that everything revolved around “804,” an apparent reference to a political campaign associated with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Nazim also alleged that the chief minister frequently spends time in Islamabad, participates in provincial meetings online and has now travelled to Sindh on a private aircraft.
He questioned the chief minister’s commitment to remaining in the province and urged the provincial government to focus on security, governance and the issues faced by the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The remarks represent the ANP spokesperson’s criticism of the chief minister’s travel and political activities. The statement did not include a response from the KP government to the allegations.
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