Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has promised to hold government officials accountable for allegedly undermining the people’s mandate during last year’s general elections.
In his first high-level meeting on law and order and governance since taking office, Afridi instructed the KP chief secretary to identify officials who, he claimed, failed to protect the public’s trust during the 2024 polls.
“An attempt was made to rob people of their mandate on February 8, [2024]. Unfortunately, some government officials could not withstand the pressure and did not defend the people's mandate,” Afridi said. At the same time, he announced rewards for officials who “stood by the people” during the elections.
Afridi assumed office as KP CM on October 13, following the resignation of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ali Amin Gandapur, under the direction of PTI founder Imran Khan.
وزیراعلیٰ خیبر پختونخوا محمد سہیل آفریدی کی زیر صدارت پہلا باضابطہ اجلاس:
— PTI (@PTIofficial) October 20, 2025
8 فروری انتخابات میں عوامی مینڈیٹ کے احترام کے حوالے سے وزیراعلی کا بڑا فیصلہ!
8 فروری 2024 کے عام انتخابات میں عوامی مینڈیٹ پر ڈاکہ ڈالنے کی کوشش کی گئی۔ وزیراعلیٰ نے بیوروکریسی اور پولیس کو خراج تحسین… pic.twitter.com/FAhWLDi5hG
The 2024 general elections were controversial for PTI, as the party was forced to contest under independent candidates after losing its official 'bat' symbol. Despite this setback, PTI successfully formed the KP government with Gandapur as the chief minister.
The PTI has continued nationwide protests, alleging both pre- and post-election rigging, a claim Afridi’s remarks appear to echo by highlighting failures among certain government officials.
In another decision during the meeting, CM Afridi ordered the return of bulletproof vehicles provided by the interior ministry to the KP police. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had handed over the vehicles to KP Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed in Islamabad just a day earlier. Afridi criticized the vehicles for being defective and old, calling them “an insult to the KP police” and highlighting concerns over operational safety.
