PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Suhail Afridi on Tuesday announced that a province-wide pen-down strike will be observed on May 6 to protest what he described as “deliberate discrimination” by the federal government.
Speaking at a press conference in Peshawar, Afridi accused the federation of meting out discriminatory treatment to the province in matters of the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award, as well as electricity and gas distribution. He said the strike was intended to highlight the province’s grievances and compel the centre to address longstanding concerns.
Afridi also criticized the federal authorities for denying Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi access to personal physicians. He termed the restrictions on their meetings with family members and lawyers “inhumane,” urging that basic rights be respected even in custody.
The chief minister appealed to lawyers across the province to participate in the strike, stressing that collective action was necessary to resist what he called systemic injustices. He also said that emergency services will remain exempted from the strike.
The announcement comes amid heightened tensions between the provincial government and the federation, with Afridi positioning the strike as a symbolic show of resistance against policies he claims undermine Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s constitutional and economic rights.
