KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi claims he was abducted by police during a visit to Lahore, while the Punjab government maintains he voluntarily boarded a police vehicle.
LAHORE — Tension escalated between police and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters during Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi’s visit to Lahore, following allegations that he was briefly abducted by law enforcement authorities.
Chief Minister Afridi alleged that he was taken by Punjab Police and later left on the roadside after facing pressure. Speaking on the incident, he claimed he was left without security and described the episode as an attempt to abduct a democratically elected provincial leader, warning that such actions could heighten tensions between federating units.
The Punjab government rejected the allegations. Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari stated that available video footage shows Afridi walking toward a police vehicle and boarding it voluntarily, maintaining that he was neither arrested nor abducted.
Providing a different account, a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government official said the Chief Minister had entered the police van to secure the release of detained PTI workers. According to the official, while some detainees were released, others remained inside, prompting Afridi to refuse to step out before the vehicle was driven to another location where he was let out.
The incident occurred during Afridi’s visit to Lahore to offer condolences to the family of a deceased PTI worker. The trip saw scattered disruptions and standoffs between party supporters and police personnel across various locations in the city.
