Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sohail Afridi was denied permission on Thursday to meet the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan imprisoned in Adiala Jail, marking the fifth time his request for a meeting has been rejected.

CM Afridi, accompanied by official protocol, was stopped by police at Dahgal checkpoint on Adiala Road.

Several PTI leaders and workers were also present at the site. Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Moin Qureshi, who arrived separately to meet the former prime minister, was similarly turned back.

As the official visitation hours ended, CM Afridi and the other PTI representatives left without being allowed to meet their party leader.

Speaking to the media at Dahgal, the KP chief minister criticised what he called a “broken system,” saying he had consistently followed constitutional and legal channels but was repeatedly denied access.

“My leader exposed this system long ago. Some people have become more powerful than institutions,” CM Afridi said.

“We don’t even know who is issuing these orders. Decisions are made behind closed doors.”

CM Afridi said any policy formed without taking the provinces into confidence would not be accepted.

“If we are trusted and allowed to meet our leader, such tensions wouldn’t even arise. They are violating court orders, and those responsible must be held accountable,” he added.

The KP chief minister also questioned the state’s security claims, saying, “They said even a bird couldn’t cross the fence, yet terrorists keep coming through. This is the question we’ve been asking.”

CM Afridi called for political dialogue to end the ongoing turmoil, saying, “Name one politician who can bring stability, and we will sit with them.”