Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi unleashed a fiery critique of Pakistan's judicial system on Tuesday, accusing it of being 'paralyzed' and 'held hostage' by the controversial 26th Constitutional Amendment.  Speaking at a public function in Peshawar, Afridi declared that the refusal to allow him a meeting with PTI founder Imran Khan exposes not his own weakness, but the "helplessness" of the courts.

 "This is the latest example of how our courts have been crippled," Afridi asserted, referencing a recent court order directing that he be permitted to meet Khan in Adiala Jail. He revealed that just two days prior, three judges had ruled in favor of the meeting, only for the decision to be "thrown in the trash." "If the judges feel they are helpless and the courts are hostages, they should tell the public, tell the lawyers," he urged.  

"Then the lawyers should know, the public should know, and we should know. We have to bring the powerful to justice and also release those who are hostages."Afridi's remarks come amid escalating tensions between the PTI-led provincial government and federal authorities, with Khan remaining incarcerated since his 2023 arrest on charges widely decried by supporters as politically motivated. The young CM, a staunch PTI loyalist, framed the incident as symptomatic of a deeper malaise: a "culture of one state, two constitutions." 

"Our struggle is a movement for true freedom and the rule of law, in which the legal community plays a central role," he emphasized.  "We have not allowed the constitution and law to become a spider's web in which the weak get trapped and the strong get out. The constitution and law are equal for all." In a gesture of solidarity with the province's legal fraternity, Afridi announced the approval of Rs 42 crore in grants for bar associations across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, promising disbursement within days.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)