PTI confirms Barrister Gohar, Sohail Afridi's meeting with Naqvi; says discussion focused on terrorism in KP

ISLAMABAD: The PTI confirmed on Sunday that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and party chairperson Barrister Gohar Ali Khan had held a meeting with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in previous days.

PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram told Dawn that the meeting was held to discuss the issue of terrorism in KP, especially in Bannu, where two police personnel and as many civilians were martyred while 25 terrorists were killed in a fierce clash between law enforcers, a peace committee and militants on Saturday.

The interior minister “mostly discussed how terrorism can be controlled”, he said.

He shared these details after Dawn approached him following an X post by Imran’s sister, Aleema Khan.

“Barrister Gohar and Sohail Afridi met Mohsin Naqvi. Our family had no knowledge of this meeting, and neither was any family member present,” she said, addressing another post that said she was also part of the meeting.

Speaking to Dawn, Akram also said, “It is incorrect that Aleema Khan was part of the meeting. Only the KP CM and Barrister Gohar attended the meeting, and it was regarding terrorist attacks in KP, especially in Bannu.”

Sources told Dawn that the meeting took place at Barrister Gohar’s residence.

A senior PTI leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the meeting was held on May 14 at night, around 9pm.

“Sohail Afridi went to the venue along with his driver without a protocol vehicle,” he said.

When asked for more details of the meeting, he said one of the key areas of discussion was allowing incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan to meet with his family and party leaders and providing him medical treatment at a hospital.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) allowed Imran Khan to have twice-a-week meetings — on Tuesdays and Thursdays — with his family, lawyers and other associates. Despite the order, the former premier has been restricted from meeting visitors for several weeks.

Meanwhile, the PTI has also been demanding that he be shifted to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad for treatment since his eye ailment — right central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) — came to light in late January.

The senior PTI leader also said that during the meeting with Afridi and Gohar, Naqvi “made it clear the KP CM was not in the list of the favourite people”.

He recalled that previously, Imran had expressed annoyance when former KP CM Ali Amin Gandapur had held a meeting with Naqvi, a photo of which had been released.

Earlier this week, Afridi was also asked during a press conference whether he held a meeting with an “important personality”, to which he had replied: “I can meet anyone for Imran Khan.”