Afridi says he’s concerned at spikes on the roads in KP

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi has expressed serious concern over the installation of metal spikes on roads within the territorial jurisdiction of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, terming the practice a highly alarming and dangerous development. “The question is whether a deliberate effort has now been set in motion to disconnect Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from the rest of Pakistan, ” the Chief Minister asked. The installation of spikes on roads within the province is an extremely dangerous extension of the same narrative. However, these spikes will ultimately become the final nail in the coffin of their ‘artificial’ system, he said. The Chief Minister made it clear that Pakistan would not be allowed to disintegrate under any circumstances. “Pakistan will not break, and we will protect Pakistan, ” he said. He expressed concern over incidents in which government personnel from another province had entered Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and engaged in physical confrontations with provincial officials. “The question is whether confidence in the administration and police of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been lost, or whether an administration and police force from another province is now being introduced into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, ” he said. The Chief Minister also expressed concern over restrictions on the media coverage of representatives of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said that the province’s parliamentary leader and Information Minister had been prevented from appearing on the media, while reports had also been received that media organisations were being directed from covering the Chief Minister’s engagements. He claimed that ministers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were being abducted by individuals in plainclothes, while incidents of firing and attempted abductions involving provincial ministers had also occurred. “These actions are taking the country in an extremely dangerous direction, ” he said. Reiterating his commitment to the planned long march of PTI, the Chief Minister said it would take place under all circumstances and would remain peaceful. “Put spikes on the roads, place containers or even fire bullets, we will come out. And when we do, we will put an end, once and for all, to this corrupt system and these illegitimate rulers. Our struggle is peaceful and constitutional, ” he said. The Chief Minister also urged state institutions and those in positions of authority not to allow political confrontation to descend to a level where they would ultimately be unable to face one another with dignity. Referring to the closure of the Civil Secretariat on the grounds of a security threat, he said he had personally visited the Secretariat and taken a walk there. Similarly, he said, he had visited the mosque that had reportedly been closed on security grounds and offered Friday prayers there. “There was no threat. The entire provincial system was shut down through fabricated threats, ” he said. The Chief Minister said the Secretariat was located within the cantonment, which, he noted, was under the control of the relevant security and law-enforcement authorities. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

Read full story on Business Recorder