Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Tuesday criticised what he described as the unjust treatment of protesters and questioned the judicial handling of ongoing cases.

He said courts should inquire why people were protesting and why their leader was being denied legal rights.

He also questioned delays in hearings and restrictions on meetings with personal doctors.

CM Afridi warned that bringing federal police officials into confrontation with the provincial government could worsen the situation.

He said the public would not tolerate further injustice and that restraint had its limits.

His remarks came as the Peshawar High Court (PHC) ordered the immediate reopening of roads blocked due to protests by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.

Meanwhile, authorities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have restored traffic on major highways following orders from the PHC, officials said on Tuesday.