PESHAWAR – In a move that caught many by surprise, Sohail Afridi, the recently sworn-in Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, disclosed that the corps commander of Peshawar paid an unofficial visit to his office at the CM Secretariat “to congratulate” him.
Afridi clarified that the interaction was not part of an official agenda and that officials from all key security institutions—from the inspector general of police to the chief secretary—frequently engage with his office. “I am the chief executive of the province,” he stated, “so such visits are routine, and our stance is consistent everywhere: what we say inside is what we say outside.”
While officials emphasise the meeting’s informal nature, security analysts note that the visit comes amid heightened counter-terrorism concerns in the province’s tribal districts. Both parties reportedly discussed the region’s security dynamics, development projects, and the role of civilian governance in tandem with military oversight. The disclosure may hint at a recalibration of civil-military relations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
This story has been reported by PakTribune. All rights reserved.