Peshawar, Oct 8 (PTI) Pakistan’s Peshawar High Court on Thursday sought a response from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to a petition alleging that government resources were being used for political activities, including the ongoing long march by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.
A two-member bench headed by Chief Justice S M Atiq Shah issued the notice after the petitioner’s counsel alleged that Afridi had used the official government helicopter to travel to Lakki Marwat in connection with his party’s ongoing march from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Islamabad.
The counsel referred to a November 2025 judgment of the court that imposed restrictions on the use of government resources for such activities. After hearing the arguments, the court issued a notice to Afridi and sought his response to the allegations.
The ongoing long march of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was launched on Sunday to press for the release of their jailed party founder and former prime minister Imran Khan.
Khan, the 73-year-old former cricketer-turned-politician, has been incarcerated since 2023 and faces more than 100 cases, including corruption and charges related to inciting violence. He is lodged at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), a northwestern province administered by a PTI-led government under Afridi, was the starting point of the long march.
The protest caravan began from Lakki Marwat and is being led by Afridi and other PTI leaders. The party has said it plans to take the march towards the federal capital for a sit-in.
The PTI had initially planned to launch the march on September 27 but later postponed it to October 4. Its key demands include an immediate meeting with Khan and allowing his personal doctors to examine him.
The party has also demanded the release of his sisters and supporters arrested ahead of the protest, a proper medical check-up for Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi, and that their cases be heard without interference.
The march followed the failure of two rounds of talks between the PTI leaders and the federal government. The talks broke down early Sunday over the party’s demand for access to Khan before it called off the protest.
The government had insisted that the protest be called off before a meeting with Khan, while the PTI demanded that the meeting take place first, according to informed sources.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had on Tuesday invited the PTI for talks and urged it to call off the long march, saying political issues should be resolved through dialogue.
The federal government has also warned that the march would not be allowed to enter Islamabad, while security has been tightened and roads along the planned route have been blocked with shipping containers.
Afridi on Wednesday said he would resist any policy against the people of KPK and would not allow another military operation in the province.
Addressing participants of the PTI long march in Khyber district, he said the recent talks with the federal government were political in nature and alleged that an “imposed mindset” wanted the provincial government to endorse another military operation. PTI AYZ FHK
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.