PESHAWAR: The government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has announced a province-wide “pen-down” strike, accusing the federal government of discriminatory treatment.
Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said the strike would take place on May 6. He said emergency services would remain exempt.
Afridi alleged that the federal government was targeting the province due to its political leadership. He said the province is governed by former prime minister Imran Khan’s party, which he described as widely popular.
He accused the center of discrimination in the distribution of resources under the National Finance Commission (NFC) award, as well as in electricity and gas allocations.
“The federation is deliberately treating the province unfairly,” Sohail Afridi said.
He also raised concerns over prison conditions for Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi. He said they were not being provided treatment under their personal doctors. He added that denying Khan meetings with family members and lawyers was “inhumane and unlawful.”
Afridi called on lawyers to join the strike, urging those committed to constitutional and legal principles to support the protest.
The announcement comes amid rising political tensions between the provincial government and federal authorities over governance and resource allocation.
