Sohail Afridi’s return as KP CM unlikely, says s...

Summary

• ISLAMABAD: The possibility of suspended Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi returning to office has almost disappeared, even if the emergency and governor’s rule imposed in the province are temporary, a senior federal government source has said.
• The assessment also ruled out his return after the emergency administration ends, indicating that the federal government does not consider his restoration to office a viable option.
• The federal source’s assessment, however, indicates that the government does not currently expect Afridi to return to the chief minister’s office.

AI Generated Summary

ISLAMABAD: The possibility of suspended Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi returning to office has almost disappeared, even if the emergency and governor’s rule imposed in the province are temporary, a senior federal government source has said.

The source told this correspondent that there was virtually no chance of Afridi resuming his position as chief minister. The assessment also ruled out his return after the emergency administration ends, indicating that the federal government does not consider his restoration to office a viable option.

The remarks come after the federal government suspended the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led provincial government and placed Afridi and some members of his cabinet in preventive custody. The combination of preventive detention and pending legal proceedings has created considerable uncertainty about his political future.

On October 11, the federal government imposed an emergency and governor’s rule in the province. It argued that the provincial government had failed to effectively combat terrorism. The PTI rejected the move, describing it as politically motivated.