ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry has confirmed that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and several members of his cabinet have been taken into preventive custody following the imposition of emergency rule and governor’s rule in the province.
Speaking to media on Monday, Chaudhry confirmed the detentions, describing Afridi as the now-dysfunctional chief minister.
The minister said those facing legal cases would be charged and brought to trial, while the remaining detainees would be released. He added that the arrests had taken place on Sunday.
On the same day, President Asif Ali Zardari approved the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, citing the province’s deteriorating security situation.
According to a statement issued by the President Secretariat’s Media Wing, the president signed the summary under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution of Pakistan.
The decision came after recommendations from the federal cabinet, formal advice from the prime minister and law-and-order reports submitted by relevant security institutions.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan strongly criticised the federal government’s move, calling it a “grave political mistake”.
In a statement posted on X, Gohar warned that the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule would undermine democratic rights and provincial autonomy.
The development follows days of protests by PTI supporters in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who had planned to march towards Islamabad to demand the release of party founder Imran Khan and access to medical treatment for him.
The march began in Lakki Marwat on October 4 after negotiations between the government and opposition failed to produce an agreement.
The talks collapsed over differences regarding counterterrorism cooperation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and demands for access to the imprisoned PTI founder, including permission for him to meet his personal physician.
Both sides blamed each other for the breakdown in negotiations as Afridi continued leading the protest march through the province before the federal government’s decision to impose emergency and governor’s rule.
