The Peshawar High Court has issued a notice to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, seeking his response over the use of a government helicopter to travel to Lakki Marwat to launch the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) long march.
According to the petitioner’s counsel, the chief minister used the official helicopter to reach Lakki Marwat for the political procession. Afridi reached Lakki Marwat by helicopter before formally launching the PTI long march from Gandi Chowk.
The petitioner’s lawyer argued that the Peshawar High Court had imposed restrictions in November 2025 on the use of government resources for political activities.
The court has now issued a notice to Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and sought his response regarding the use of the government helicopter.
The issue comes amid political tensions surrounding the PTI’s ongoing long march towards Islamabad. The use of the government helicopter has also drawn criticism from federal officials, who have questioned whether state resources were used for a political activity.
The PTI long march was launched from Lakki Marwat on October 5, with Afridi leading the procession towards Islamabad.
On other hand Citizens in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have expressed strong dissatisfaction with the performance of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, particularly over the deteriorating law and order situation and continued incidents of terrorism in the province.
Residents have called for the removal of Chief Minister (CM) Sohail Afridi, saying that a change in the provincial government’s approach is necessary to improve security and tackle terrorism effectively.
Criticising the PTI government and the chief minister, citizens said they had yet to see substantial practical work in the province, while political slogans and calls to travel to Adiala and D-Chowk continued to dominate political discourse.
The citizens said KP needed more than a change of faces, calling for fundamental changes in policies and the administrative system to address the province’s security challenges.
Some citizens also demanded that the courts consider banning PTI and imposing restrictions on its leaders, while calling for a government capable of adopting an effective strategy against terrorism.
They further stressed that the police’s operational powers and administrative structure should be protected from political interference so that law-enforcement agencies can perform their duties effectively.
The citizens said improving law and order and eliminating terrorism should be treated as the government’s priority, rather than allowing political confrontation to overshadow the province’s security and governance challenges.