Peshawar, November 2, 2025: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ikhtiar Wali Khan has said that newly surfaced footage allegedly showing Chief Minister Sohail Afridi leading armed mobs during the May 9 riots raises serious concerns about his conduct and suitability for public office.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Ikhtiar Wali claimed the videos clearly show Afridi leading violent demonstrators and pelting stones at law enforcement officials.
“The footage leaves no doubt that Sohail Afridi was commanding the rioters engaged in violence against law enforcement personnel,” he said.
He further alleged that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had launched a campaign dismissing the videos as fake, but maintained that a forensic examination would confirm their authenticity.
“After the forensic process, everything will be crystal clear — the milk will be separated from water,” Ikhtiar Wali remarked.
The PML-N leader said dismissing the footage as unrelated to the May 9 events did not reduce the seriousness of the matter.
“Sohail Afridi’s actions are far more severe than those of other May 9 offenders,” he asserted.
Ikhtiar Wali also criticized the chief minister’s recent speeches, calling them “deeply objectionable” and a violation of his constitutional oath.
“His remarks and conduct amount to a grave breach of his oath. Inciting confrontation between the public and state institutions falls under the category of serious treason,” he added.
He said the emergence of the new footage had “completely exposed the violent face of Sohail Afridi and his party.”
Violent clashes erupted across Pakistan on May 9, 2023, after the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan, prompting the government to deploy the armed forces in several provinces, including Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Islamabad. PTI workers attacked multiple state installations, including the Corps Commander’s House in Lahore, during the unrest.
