Sohail Afridi says KP will stand firmly against oppressive 'fake government'

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Saturday addressed lawyers at the High Court Bar Auditorium in Hyderabad, where he spoke on constitutional issues, election rigging and the role of the judiciary and legal fraternity in safeguarding democracy.

Addressing the gathering, Sohail Afridi thanked the lawyers for their reception and apologized for arriving late, explaining that the delay was caused by people expressing affection and support along the way. “People were showing a lot of love on the route, which caused the delay,” he said.

The chief minister said his government would stand firmly against oppression and criticized what he described as rigging in the February 8 elections to impose a “fake government.” He asserted that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was the only one to have come into power with a genuine public mandate.

Referring to constitutional matters, Sohail Afridi said those who claimed to protect the constitution had, in fact, weakened its basic structure through the 26th and 27th constitutional amendments. He emphasized that the role of the judiciary and the law was to interpret the constitution in its true spirit.

He expressed regret that a strong movement, which he believed was necessary to defend constitutional principles, had not been witnessed. Addressing the legal community, he said he expected lawyers to play an active role in any future street movement for the rule of law.

Afridi also acknowledged the demands of the lawyers, including the establishment of a library, provision of books, digitization of legal resources, and cultural exchange tours. He invited the lawyers to participate in such a tour and announced that he would personally sponsor it.

Highlighting inter-provincial solidarity, Afridi said that when the water issue arose in Sindh, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government stood by Sindh in support. The address concluded with assurances of continued cooperation between the provincial government and the legal fraternity.