Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi alleged on Wednesday that an armed individual was dispatched to assassinate him after he traveled from Sialkot to Wazirabad as part of his Punjab visit. He stated that his security team apprehended the suspect and recovered a pistol from him.

In a video message, Afridi asserted the man, dressed in plain clothes, intended to kill him but was intercepted by his security personnel. He added that the suspect was handed over to local police along with the recovered firearm.

Earlier on Tuesday, Afridi had spent a busy day in Lahore, visiting various locations connected to the Punjab street movement. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced nationwide protests and a long march to Islamabad scheduled for September 27, demanding the release of the party’s founder, Imran Khan.

In the same video, Afridi also claimed that electricity was cut off at the residence where he stayed in Sialkot, and its generator was damaged. He said similar disruptions occurred at Umar Dar’s house, where electricity was also cut and the generator sabotaged.

This allegation follows Afridi’s statement two days prior, in which he said he was “abducted” by authorities in Lahore and abandoned on the roadside without security. However, he was not formally arrested. Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari dismissed Afridi’s claim, stating that he voluntarily entered a Punjab Police vehicle.

Meanwhile, Gujranwala police refuted Afridi’s accusations, explaining that the individual apprehended was a police officer assigned to security duties. The police reported that the officer was detained and subjected to violence despite presenting his police identification. The station house officer (SHO) of City Wazirabad police station intervened to rescue the constable.

The police condemned the characterization of a police official on duty as an “assassin,” emphasizing that such allegations were unacceptable.