Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and several members of his cabinet have been taken into preventive custody, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said on Monday. He said the detentions took place on Sunday. Any cabinet member facing charges would be prosecuted, while the others would be freed, he added.
The detentions followed a decision by President Asif Ali Zardari, who on Sunday declared an emergency and governor’s rule in the province. He acted on the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, citing a worsening security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Emergency decree based on cabinet advice and security reports
The President’s Secretariat Media Wing said Zardari signed the summary on the prime minister’s counsel under Articles 232 and 234 of the constitution. The step rested on recommendations from the federal cabinet, the prime minister’s formal advice, and law-and-order reports prepared by security institutions.
PTI condemns emergency as Afridi-led march continues
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan condemned the emergency and governor’s rule, calling it a “grave political mistake”. In a post on X, he warned that the federal government’s decision would weaken democratic rights and provincial autonomy.
The emergency came a week after Khan’s supporters spent several days rallying in the province, with plans to march on Islamabad. They demanded the release of the jailed PTI founder, Imran Khan, and medical treatment for him. The march began in Lakki Marwat on October 4, after talks between the government and opposition collapsed. Disputes over counterterrorism cooperation in KP and access to Imran Khan, including a meeting with his personal doctor, derailed the negotiations. Both sides traded accusations while Afridi kept leading the march through the province.
