Peshawar [Pakistan], May 8 : In an unprecedented move, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government enforced a province-wide pen-down strike, suspending all non-essential official work in protest against what it described as discriminatory policies by the federal government, as reported by The Express Tribune.
According to The Express Tribune, the protest, directed by Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, effectively froze routine administrative activity across the province. Although government offices remained open, officials refrained from processing files, signing documents, or performing regular duties, while emergency and essential services continued without interruption.
Officials termed the strike a symbolic demonstration against the federation's alleged neglect of provincial rights. A statement released by the Chief Minister's Secretariat accused the federal government of consistently sidelining the province in critical financial and administrative matters.
Provincial authorities claimed that K-P had been denied its rightful share under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award and faced unequal treatment in the distribution of electricity and natural gas resources. The government further alleged that the province had long been subjected to fiscal injustice and political marginalisation.
The strike also drew attention to the detention conditions of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi. K-P officials alleged that the couple was being denied adequate legal access, family visits, and medical consultations with personal doctors. Provincial leaders described the restrictions as unlawful and inhumane, adding another layer to the growing tensions between Islamabad and the provincial administration, as highlighted by The Express Tribune.
Chief Minister Afridi had announced the protest earlier in the week, calling on provincial departments to halt routine paperwork in what he labelled a "symbolic revolt of the pen" against federal overreach. While the strike did not significantly affect public-facing services, political observers viewed the move as a sharp escalation in the ongoing confrontation between the federal government and the K-P administration. Federal authorities have so far refrained from issuing any formal reaction, as reported by The Express Tribune.
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