Opposition leaders Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Raja Nasir Abbas on Saturday jointly filed a petition before the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC), asking for the immediate release of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and eight other parliamentarians. Afridi, a PTI-backed chief minister, and the other lawmakers were taken into preventive custody hours before the federal government imposed governor’s rule and emergency in KP on October 11.
Achakzai leads the opposition in the National Assembly, while Abbas leads it in the Senate. Their petition argues that keeping elected representatives in custody effectively nullifies the public mandate they hold.
Petition challenges detention under constitutional articles
The petitioners contend that targeting lawmakers because of their political affiliation breaches several constitutional provisions. “Targeting them on the basis of political affiliation violates Articles 4, 14, 17 and 25 of the Constitution,” the petition reads.
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The filing also demands that the government disclose the “legal status and place of detention” of those held. It argues that extraordinary powers invoked under Articles 232, 234 and 245 do not override fundamental rights, and that governor’s rule does not suspend them. Government actions, it says, remain subject to judicial review by the FCC.
Imran Khan’s talks role and Peshawar court plea
According to the petition, imprisoned PTI founder Imran Khan had asked Achakzai and Nasir Abbas to hold talks with the government. It further states that state machinery cannot be used to suppress political dissent or sideline elected representatives.
The petitioners have asked the court to have all affected lawmakers produced before it, to examine the legal justification for their detention, and to order their release. Separately, Nasir Abbas told a news channel that the opposition had approached a Peshawar court to seek information on the whereabouts of suspended chief minister Sohail Afridi and provincial assembly speaker Babar Saleem Swati.
Abbas calls for dialogue to resolve KP crisis
Nasir Abbas stressed that negotiation was the way out of the standoff. “The only way to save the sinking boat is dialogue and implementation of the Constitution,” he said. “Even now, political parties will have to sit together and decide,” he added.
