Lawyer and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Naeem Haider Panjotha landed in a pool of embarrassment for attempting to contest a May 9 video of now-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, which was played by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ikhtiyar Wali Khan live on air.
As per the details, Khan on journalist Mansoor Ali Khan’s show played a video that purportedly showed KP CM Afridi “near” the Corps Commander’s House in Lahore on May 9, 2023 – the day it was attacked by violent PTI protesters over party founder Imran Khan’s arrest.
Panjotha, who was appearing as a guest alongside PML-N’s Khan, attempted to refute the claim, alleging that the video in question was “fake” and “edited”.
With the PTI lawyer going on to seek validation from another panelist – journalist Irshad Bhatti, who did not comment over it – the PML-N leader ended up finding the same video on the verified personal social media account of the KP CM.
A viral clip of the discussion showed a visibly upset and confused Panjotha continuing to attempt and deny the veracity of the video as PML-N’s Khan laughed over what he later called was an “interesting situation” on Mansoor Ali Khan’s show.
سہیل آفریدی کی کور کمانڈر ہاؤس پر حملہ کی ویڈیو سچی ثابت ہونے پرمنصور علی خان کے شو میں دلچسپ صورتحال۔۔ یوتھئیے پھر نہی مانیں گے اسلئے ویڈیو سے دور رہیں۔ pic.twitter.com/83525xQjfz
— Ikhtiar Wali (@ikhtiarwali) November 4, 2025
Khan went on to share the clip on his official X account, showing Panjotha undeterred as both the PML-N leader and host Mansoor Ali Khan tried to make him realise the video was shared by Afridi himself.
It merits a mention that the on-air exchange came two days after Ikhtiar Wali Khan also issued a statement on the footage showing Afridi leading an armed mob during the May 9 protests.
In the statement issued Saturday, Khan said the video raised serious questions about Afridi’s conduct and fitness for public office that he holds since after his election as the provincial chief executive last month.
He said the videos clearly showed Afridi leading violent demonstrators and pelting stones at state officials. “The footage leaves no doubt that Sohail Afridi was commanding the rioters engaged in violence against law enforcement personnel.”
The PML-N leader added that after the video emerged, PTI launched a campaign labeling it “fake” but insisted that truth would come out once the forensic examination of the videos was completed.
He argued that dismissing the videos as being from another event does not reduce the seriousness of the crime. “Sohail Afridi’s actions are far more severe than those of other May 9 offenders,” he asserted.
The PML-N leader further said that even after taking the oath as the CM, Afridi’s statements and speeches remained “deeply objectionable” and “a violation of his constitutional oath”.