Ikhtiar Wali questions Sohail Afridi’s role in May 9 violence, calls him unfit for office

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ikhtiar Wali Khan has said that recently surfaced footage showing Sohail Afridi leading armed mobs during the May 9 attacks has raised serious questions about his conduct and fitness for public office, ARY News reported.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Ikhtiar Wali said the videos clearly depict Sohail Afridi leading violent demonstrators and pelting stones at state officials. “The footage leaves no doubt that Sohail Afridi was commanding the rioters engaged in violence against law enforcement personnel,” he said.

The PML-N leader added that after the video emerged, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) launched a campaign labeling it “fake,” but insisted that the truth would come out once the forensic examination of the videos is completed. “After the forensic process, everything will be crystal clear — the milk will be separated from water,” Ikhtiar Wali Khan remarked.

Ikhtiar Wali argued that dismissing the videos as being from another event does not reduce the seriousness of the crime. “Sohail Afridi’s actions are far more severe than those of other May 9 offenders,” he asserted.

He further stated that even after taking the oath as chief minister, Sohail Afridi’s statements and speeches remain “deeply objectionable” and “a violation of his constitutional oath.”

“Sohail Afridi’s remarks and behavior amount to a grave breach of his oath,” Ikhtiar Wali said, adding that inciting confrontation between the public and state institutions falls under the category of serious treason.

“The evidence has now completely exposed the violent face of Sohail Afridi and his party,” Ikhtiar Wali concluded.

May 9 violence

Violent clashes broke out across Pakistan after former prime minister Imran Khan was arrested on May 9, 2023.

The protests were held in remote and major cities as the party workers were agitated due to their chairman’s arrest, with Balochistan, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad summoning the armed forces to ensure law and order.

Army installations, including Corps Commander’s house in Lahore, had come under attack during the protests by PTI workers.