KP CM Sohail Afridi claims attempt made to 'kill' him in Wazirabad

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi claimed on Wednesday that an armed assailant was sent to target him after he travelled from Sialkot to Wazirabad during his Punjab tour, alleging that his security team caught the “suspect” and recovered a pistol from him.

In a video statement, CM Afridi said that the man was sent in plain clothes with the "intention of killing him" but was caught by his security team.

“A pistol was recovered from the person who was caught, and he was handed over to the local police,” he claimed.

KP CM Afridi spent a busy day in Lahore on Tuesday and visited different areas in connection with the Punjab street movement.

The PTI has announced nationwide protests and a long march towards the federal capital on September 27 to demand the release of jailed party founder Imran Khan.

In the video statement, CM Afridi further claimed that electricity at the house where he stayed in Sialkot was cut off and its generator was damaged.

“When we moved to Umar Dar’s house, the electricity was also cut off there, and the generator was damaged,” Afridi said.

The claim comes two days after CM Afridi said he was “abducted” by authorities in Lahore and later left by the roadside without security.

However, the KP chief minister was not formally arrested, while Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari rejected his allegation and said Afridi had entered a Punjab Police vehicle of his own accord.

In a statement, Gujranwala police rejected CM Afridi's claims saying the person caught was a police official deployed for security duty.

The police said the official was detained and subjected to violence despite showing his police card.

The constable was assaulted in the presence of the station house officer (SHO) of City Wazirabad police station.

The SHO intervened and rescued the constable, police said, adding that describing a police official deployed on security duty as a “killer” was condemnable.