Pak’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CM ends sit-in near Adiala Jail after being denied meeting with Imran Khan
Islamabad (PTI): The chief minister of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Friday ended a 16-hour long sit-in near Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, protesting against authorities for stopping him from meeting former prime minister Imran Khan.
Sohail Afridi last month replaced Ali Amin Ganadapur as chief minister and announced that his first priority was to get the 73-year-old former cricketer-turned-politician out of jail, where he has been languishing since August 2023.
However, Afridi has not been able to meet the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder in jail despite his strenuous efforts.
On Thursday, when he came to meet Khan, Afridi was stopped near the prison on the Adiala Road where he gave a ‘dharna’ with dozens of PTI party followers and his protest continued for about 16 hours.
As he wrapped up the protest in the early morning, Afridi told journalists at the Gorkhpur checkpoint near Adiala Jail that he along with party workers spent the entire night at the protest site but no information had been given about Khan
"We spent the night here with the workers — this was only one night," he said, adding, “If we have to spend our whole lives here for the PTI founder, we will do so.”
"We have not yet been told anything about the condition of the PTI founder," he said.
There were rumours about the deteriorating health of the former prime minister but authorities rejected the concerns and Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry told the parliament on Thursday that Khan was doing well and “enjoying facilities like personal chef which are not available to any other prisoner”.
Afridi, however, said that he would not back down from the demands to meet Khan and get information about his health. "We will not retreat from our protests and sit-ins," he asserted.
He also said his party used “all constitutional and legal options” in an attempt to meet the PTI founder, but to no avail.
“I have used every constitutional and legal path. What route is left for me to meet my leader?” he asked. The chief minister said that despite a court order, neither he nor other party leaders were allowed to meet Khan.
After ending his sit-in, the chief minister departed for Islamabad. He was expected to come back after filing a petition in the Islamabad High Court seeking permission to meet the PTI founder.
Apart from Afridi, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, head of the opposition alliance the Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP), Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) chief Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, Senator Mishal Yousufzai, Senator Gurdeep Singh, Senator Rubina Naz and lawmaker Zulfiqar Ahmed and others attended the sit-in.
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No deadline extension for Waqf registration, ministry will not impose penalties for 3 months: Rijiju
New Delhi (PTI): Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday ruled out extending the deadline for registering Waqf properties on the UMEED portal but said his ministry, recognising the concerns of 'mutawallis' or caretakers, will not impose any penalty or take strict action for the next three months as a humanitarian and facilitative measure.
He also said that 1.51 lakh properties had been registered by Friday morning.
The minister stressed that those 'mutawallis (Waqf property caretakers) who have not registered on the portal at all can approach their respective Waqf tribunals.
The Centre launched The Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency, and Development (UMEED) Act central portal on June 6 to create a digital inventory.
According to the provisions of the portal, details of all registered Waqf properties across the country must be uploaded within six months. The six-month deadline for registration ends at 11:59:59 pm on December 6, 2025.
The six-month deadline mandated under the Waqf Amendment Act cannot be extended due to the provisions of the act, and clear directions of the Supreme Court, the minister said.
However, recognising the concerns of 'mutawallis', the minister assured that the ministry will not impose any penalties or take strict action for the next three months as a "humanitarian and facilitative measure".
The ministry also issued a clarification and said Rijiju has never stated that the deadline for Waqf property upload on the UMEED Portal has been extended.
"Mutawallis who are unable to complete registration process by 11:59:59 pm on 6th December, 2025 can approach the Waqf Tribunal, which has the legal authority to grant an extension. The minister has repeatedly emphasised that any change in the legally mandated timeline is not possible, as it is bound by the law passed by Parliament and upheld by the Supreme Court. The minister's statement is therefore fully consistent with the law," the ministry said.
Earlier, Rijiju said, "After making the Waqf law, we had launched the UMEED portal and a six-month duration was given to the concerned parties to register all the Waqf properties on the portal."
"Many MPs and social leaders came to me requesting that problems are being faced in registering more than 9 lakh Waqf properties and it is the last day today, so the deadline should be extended. Till now, more than 1.51 lakh Waqf properties have been registered on the UMEED portal," he said.
Some states have done well like Karnataka and Punjab and also Jammu and Kashmir but some others have lagged behind.
Rijiju said in some places, the UMEED portal was slow while some people did not have the papers.
"I assure all 'mutawallis' who tried but could not complete the registration process... for the next three months, we will not impose any penalties or take any strict action," he said.
Those who have not been able to come on the portal must approach their respective tribunals.
The Supreme Court was clear on its instructions that the date cannot be extended, he said.
The government, through the Ministry of Minority Affairs, has said it is committed to modernizing Waqf administration and unlocking the full developmental potential of Waqf properties for the benefit of minority communities.
