The Peshawar High Court has asked the parties concerned to submit their responses within 10 days on petitions seeking the recovery of ousted Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, Provincial Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati and other Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leaders. The petitions were heard on Tuesday, and the court has issued notices to the relevant parties.
Afridi and several members of his cabinet were taken into “preventive custody” after emergency rule was imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on October 11. State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry confirmed this a day later.
Court hears claims of missing leaders and immunity
A two-member bench made up of Justice Syed Arshad Ali and Justice Farah Jamshed heard the petitions. Counsel for the petitioners told the bench that Afridi and Swati had been out of sight for roughly ten days. He argued that the speaker holds constitutional immunity and could not be arrested in the manner alleged at the Speaker House.
The lawyer also said PTI leader Junaid Akbar and 11 other people had allegedly been taken away from the Speaker House. He added that the federal government had repeatedly acknowledged that these individuals were in its custody. Justice Arshad Ali said the court would seek comments from the relevant parties and asked the lawyer not to rush the proceedings.
The court then issued notices and directed the parties to reply within 10 days.
Families and relatives seek recovery and an inquiry
After the detentions were reported, the families of Afridi and Swati approached the Peshawar High Court. They alleged that armed, masked men had taken both leaders away. Petitions filed on October 13 asked for their immediate recovery and for them to be produced before the court, so that their whereabouts and the legality of their detention could be established.
Afridi’s brother, Muhammad Amir, alleged that the chief minister was taken from the Chief Minister’s House in Peshawar at about 2pm on October 11, in the presence of police officers, including the capital city police officer. His petition asks police for details of the incident, the preservation of CCTV footage and other records, and an impartial investigation.
The petition concerning Swati seeks his recovery, an inquiry into the alleged abduction and legal action against those found responsible. The allegations have not yet been established in court.
