• KP CM accuses Islamabad police of deliberately hitting his vehicle as his convoy attempted to enter capital
• Assails Punjab govt after claiming armed man tried to enter his procession in Wazirabad
• Gujranwala police say man in question was also a cop; govt releases videos showing him being assaulted

ISLAMABAD/GUJRANWALA: Hours after a dispute with the Punjab government over an alleged assassination attempt, KP CM Sohail Afridi became embroiled in a late-night standoff in Islamabad as he alleged that police attempted to intercept his convoy by deliberately colliding with his vehicle.

The confrontation, which unfolded late on Wednesday at Khanna Pul on the outskirts of the federal capital, saw furious PTI workers and the chief minister exchange heated arguments with law enforcement officials.

CM Afridi announced an immediate protest, claiming the collision was a deliberate attempt by authorities to intercept his convoy and sabotage his movement.

Video footage of the incident showed a visibly irate Afridi stepping out of his vehicle following the crash, accusing the opposing driver of a deliberate strike and directing his supporters to confiscate the keys of the colliding vehicle.

PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqqas Akram identified the striking vehicle as belonging to the Islamabad police, bearing the licence plate GAT-764.

The late-night drama was subsequently defused, allowing CM Afridi to reach the KP House inside Islamabad’s Red Zone.

The clash was the culmination of a chaotic commute into the capital. Entering through the Rawat T-Cross, the chief minister’s slow-moving motorcade paralysed traffic for miles along the Islamabad Motorway and Murree Road.

With tailbacks stretching for miles across these routes, dozens of commuters and motorists found themselves stranded.

Islamabad police sources maintained that no formal VIP route had been coordinated, attributing the massive gridlock to the convoy making unscheduled stops and deliberately blocking dual carriageways.

The KP CM , however, alleged that capital police relentlessly harassed and physically confronted the KP police personnel assigned to his security detail.

The escalation followed days of severe friction during Afridi’s tour through Punjab to mobilise supporters for the release of Imran Khan.

Wazirabad incident

Earlier on Wednesday in Wazirabad, CM Afridi claimed his security team had overpowered an armed man allegedly planning to assassinate him, handing the suspect over to local police.

That claim was immediately rejected by Gujranwala police and Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari, who identified the individual as Constable Muqaddas Ali, a local police officer assigned to the chief minister’s own security detail. Officials released security camera footage showing the officer in uniform being assaulted by the chief minister’s staff before being rescued by the Wazirabad City police station chief.

In response to the unrest, Sialkot police booked at least 150 PTI workers — including party leader Umar Dar and Sialkot District Bar Association President Saeed Bhalli — under anti-terrorism laws and the Pakistan Penal Code, accusing them of attacking law enforcement personnel.

Later, Mr Afridi’s convoy entered Gujrat from Wazirabad via Ramtali Chowk and passed through Circular Road. The convoy travelled under tight security before leaving the city via Katchery Chowk and heading to Lalamusa, with stops planned in Kharian and Sarai Alamgir.

Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2026