PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi faced sharp questioning from students during a Young Leaders Convention in Peshawar, as a female student openly challenged his government over development and corruption.
The student criticised the ruling PTI for what she called a lack of visible development in the province. She asked why Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remained underdeveloped after 13 years of PTI rule, while Punjab and Sindh were moving ahead.
“What have you actually given to this province?” she asked. “Most of the so-called development has gone to the houses of MPAs and MNAs.”
She also questioned the government’s handling of corruption and urged a direct comparison with other provinces to assess development outcomes.
Afridi responded by suggesting the student had links with rival parties, including the Awami National Party (ANP), which drew further reaction from the audience. He defended his government by saying PTI had empowered youth to question authority.
“I have given this awareness,” he said. “Today, a sister is standing here and questioning the chief executive of the province.”
The chief minister said criticism should be based on a clear definition of development. He pointed to security improvements, claiming bomb blasts were common during previous ANP governments. He said his administration reopened Nishtar Hall and expanded youth-focused programmes.
Sohail Afridi also criticised conditions in other provinces. He said schools in parts of south Punjab were used to house animals and claimed dogs still roamed hospitals in Sindh.
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He said development was under way in Peshawar, adding that projects worth Rs200 billion were being launched. He also announced that Rs1 trillion would be spent on development in the merged tribal districts.
The exchange went viral on social media, highlighting growing political pressure and rising public scrutiny of provincial leadership.
