Sohail Afridi’s close ties with absconding Murad Saeed: Atta Tarar

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information Atta Tarar has claimed that Sohail Afridi, a close ties of absconding Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Murad Saeed, has been brought back “with the sole purpose of extending full support to terrorist networks.”

Speaking at a joint press conference with the Coordinator to the Prime Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Ikhtiar Wali, Atta Tarar said that Sohail Afridi — who is being considered for the position of Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — is a close associate of Murad Saeed and is allegedly involved in supporting terrorist groups.

“The state will never allow facilitation of terrorism through individuals like Sohail Afridi,” Tarar warned. “Pakistan’s security policy is made in Islamabad and will continue to be made here — not in Kabul.”

He added that Ali Amin Gandapur was removed as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister because “he was not properly facilitating the terrorist agenda his party had aligned itself with.”

Atta Tarar also criticized PTI founder Imran Khan, saying, “The man sitting in jail is the chief sponsor of terrorists. Under his government, the National Action Plan was rolled back, and militants were brought back and resettled in the country.”

He accused PTI’s “disruptive group” of spreading chaos and working as facilitators for terrorists, while emphasizing that the government and national institutions are committed to maintaining peace and stability.

“The entire nation salutes the martyrs who laid down their lives defending the motherland,” Tarar said. “We will not allow those who seek instability in Pakistan to succeed.”

Referring to a London court ruling earlier that day, Tarar said, “The decision is a strong slap on the faces of the instigators. The world has seen that humiliation and disgrace are the destiny of PTI’s miscreants. The verdict has enhanced Pakistan’s honour and dignity.”

Separately, PML-N spokesperson Ikhtiar Wali said that Gandapur’s removal was not due to poor performance but because of “internal disputes and two women,” calling it “an example of PTI’s hereditary and chaotic politics.”

He added that after Ali Amin Gandapur’s removal, the next PTI leaders who might face pressure are Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Salman Akram Raja, pointing to growing internal rifts within the party.

PML-N leader Ikhtiar Wali further alleged that “the anti-state narrative is part of the PTI founder’s agenda,” claiming that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had “sold official positions in exchange for hefty bribes.”

“The KP government’s political clock is now ticking backward,” he said, adding that the federal government will not allow the PTI founder “to succeed in his destructive political game.”

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