Internal Conflict Jolts Pakistan: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CM Refuses To Attend Security Meeting Called By PM Shehbaz Sharif

In a major internal conflict in Pakistan following fierce clashes with Afghanistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has refused to attend a security meeting called by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on October 17.

He wrote a letter announcing the decision and stating that Muzzammil Aslam, former Advisor on Finance, will represent Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in his place.

In a letter to the Military Secretary to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Deputy Secretary (Coord) Muhammad Hashim Khan wrote, "I am directed to... state that due to urgent commitments of the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the former Advisor on Finance in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, Mr. Muzzammil Aslam, may be allowed to represent Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the meetings to be chaired by the Prime Minister of Pakistan on 17.10.2025."

This development comes amid escalating military tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Earlier, it was reported that an opposition party in Pakistan held a protest march against the government.

Afghanistan had claimed that Pakistan pleaded with it to end the conflict. 

Earlier today, suicide car bomber backed by the Pakistani Taliban attacked a security forces compound in Pakistan's northwest near the Afghan border on Friday, triggering an intense shootout that left three militants dead, police said.

The attack occurred in Mir Ali, a town in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, local police official Irfan Ali said. The bombing's impact damaged nearby homes, he added.

The incident came just days after Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to a ceasefire following cross-border fighting that killed dozens and wounded hundreds on both sides. The ceasefire, brokered with help from "friendly countries" that encouraged both sides to extend the truce, began on Wednesday and was set to expire Friday evening.

Local media reported that Qatar has offered to host peace talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Doha, though neither government has confirmed the offer.

This week's clashes between the two countries were the deadliest since 2021, when the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan following the collapse of the Western-backed government as U.S. and NATO forces withdrew after 20 years of war.

(With inputs from AP)

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