PTI Leaders Claim Detention of Former KP CM Sohail Afridi Amid Emergency
ISLAMABAD: Uncertainty looms over the whereabouts of former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi following claims by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) that he was taken into custody on Sunday. The reported Sohail Afridi detention occurred merely hours after federal authorities imposed emergency rule in the province, effectively cutting short a high-profile protest march led by Afridi towards the federal capital.
According to PTI representatives and close aides, Afridi was detained alongside several senior party colleagues while heading the long march aimed at pressing political demands. Shafi Jan, an aide accompanying the former chief minister, confirmed that security personnel intercepted their convoy and took Afridi into custody. PTI MNA Shahid Khattak echoed these claims, while the party’s media wing issued a statement condemning the action as political victimization aimed at suppressing elected provincial leadership.
Despite assertions made by opposition leadership, government officials have not formally confirmed the arrest. However, reliable sources indicate that Afridi and PTI provincial president Junaid Akbar have been placed under house arrest under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) ordinance. The sudden enforcement of governor’s rule and administrative crackdown on key political figures have heightened political instability, stirring intense public debate over the constitutional validity of federal interventions in provincial governance.
The ongoing political standoff is expected to escalate as legal teams representing the party prepare to challenge both the imposition of emergency rule and the detention of party leaders in the judiciary. Meanwhile, federal authorities maintain that preventive measures were imperative to maintain public safety and prevent lawlessness. Key legal proceedings and official statements are anticipated in the coming days as higher courts consider petitions against the federal government’s administrative actions.