Sohail Afridi, the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has launched a scathing attack on Pakistan PM Shahbaz Sharif and Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. He has strongly criticised the Pakistan government for signing the Gaza peace initiative led by US President Donald Trump. He called the move a “betrayal” to Palestinians and “Muslim Ummah”.
According to reports, Pakistan recently joined the Board of Peace, an international group set up to support peace in Gaza after years of conflict. The charter for this initiative was signed at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif joined leaders from multiple countries, including Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and the UAE. The government said that it hopes the initiative will lead to a lasting peace and a ceasefire. Under the Gaza peace plan there is a plan to reconstruct the war-torn region.
Afridi says Sharif and Munir “sold the blood of Gazans”
However, Afridi, who leads the provincial government in northwest Pakistan, attacked the decision in a speech to supporters. Reports say that, he accused Prime Minister Sharif and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir of placing political interests above the lives and dignity of Palestinians. He said the move ignored public opinion and was done without consulting the people of Pakistan.
Afridi said the leadership had “sold the blood of Gazans” and had betrayed Muslims everywhere. He said that “We demand that the public be taken into confidence and that no step be taken that hurts the self-respect of Pakistanis and the entire Muslim ummah.”
Afridi: Imran Khan would have never done this
In his speech, Afridi also defended jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Afridi claimed Imran Khan would never have agreed to the peace board decision if he were in power. He added that the government was pushing his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), out of mainstream politics and that public anger was growing. He said that the people who called Khan a “Zionist Agent” have been acting as the agents themselves.
As per reports, the government has defended its decision. Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said in Parliament that Pakistan’s participation in the peace board was a “diplomatic success” and would help support peace and humanitarian aid for Gaza. Iqbal said joining the initiative showed Pakistan was working with other Muslim nations for the sake of peace.
However, opposition leaders criticised the government for not consulting Parliament before signing the deal. Some said it was premature and that the terms had not been fully explained to lawmakers.
