Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has sent a formal protest letter to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, expressing strong objections to what he described as a coordinated smear campaign against him during his recent visit.

In the letter, CM Afridi condemned what he termed character assassination on social media, alleging that his visit was targeted through an online campaign that went as far as linking him to drug smuggling.

He claimed the campaign was conducted under the supervision of the Punjab government.

The KP chief minister said administrative measures were used in a manner intended to humiliate him and damage his public image, a conduct he said could not be ignored.

He warned that such actions undermined harmony between the federating units and were detrimental to inter-provincial relations.

Through the letter, CM Afridi lodged a “full protest” over the alleged conduct and said he expected remedial measures to be taken, along with assurances that such practices would be avoided in the future.

He also requested that the letter be treated as an official protest and placed on record for any future constitutional, legal or inter-provincial action.

Provincial cabinet meeting

Earlier, addressing a meeting of the provincial cabinet, CM Afridi voiced serious reservations over the Punjab government’s conduct, terming it undemocratic and condemnable.

He alleged that members of his cabinet were subjected to mistreatment and that roads and markets were forcibly closed during his visit.

He further claimed that the Punjab Police closed motorway rest areas and switched off lights during his visit to the Mazar-e-Iqbal.

The chief minister said such behaviour reflected “moral and intellectual decline” and was alarming at a time of economic and political instability.

CM Afridi said that hostile attitudes between provinces harmed national unity, adding that the KP government strongly condemned what it described as the Punjab government’s conduct.