Provincial Minister for Information, Science & Technology and Information Technology Shafi Jan has strongly condemned the alleged conduct of Punjab Police towards Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi in Lahore, saying that separating the elected Chief Minister of KP from his security, forcibly shifting him to another vehicle and later leaving him at a remote location without his security is an extremely serious and unacceptable act.
In a statement issued from his office, Provincial Minister for Information Shafi Jan said that Maryam Nawaz’s “Gullu Butts” attempted to abduct Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi by forcing him into a police vehicle and, after pressure mounted, left him at a remote location without his security. He said the police high-handedness of the Punjab government had now gone beyond the streets of Punjab and reached the elected representatives of a federal unit.
Shafi Jan said that any attempt to abduct the elected Chief Minister of a province is an open violation of the Constitution, democracy and the principle of respect for federal units. He said humiliation and such unconstitutional and undemocratic treatment of the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would not be tolerated under any circumstances.
The provincial minister said that first came controversial statements against Pakhtuns and now the Punjab Police’s alleged treatment of the elected Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He termed the developments a dangerous trend and said the people of KP would not silently accept any insult to their elected Chief Minister.
Shafi Jan said that any attempt to abduct Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi would be considered an attack on the foundations of the federation. He said such actions by the Punjab government were a dangerous attempt to create hatred and confrontation between two provinces, adding that the Punjab government would be responsible for the consequences of such a course.
He said the Maryam Nawaz government would have to answer for its unconstitutional and undemocratic treatment of an elected Chief Minister. The KP government and its people, he added, would make no compromise on the Constitution, democracy and respect for their elected representatives