The federal government’s decision to impose an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has drawn a sharp reaction from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Within hours of the Sunday announcement, the party claimed that Sohail Afridi, the now-dysfunctional chief minister, had been arrested while leading its protest march toward Islamabad.
State Minister for Interior Tallal Chaudhry said some individuals had been detained in view of the law and order situation. He did not confirm whether Mr Afridi was among them.
What the Government Has Said
Speaking to a TV channel, Mr Chaudhry made clear that the action would not be indiscriminate. “The people who are not wanted in any case will be released,” he said. “Those wanted in criminal cases will be dealt with accordingly and the rest would be sent home.”
Sources said Mr Afridi and PTI provincial president Junaid Akbar were under house arrest under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO), a provision used to maintain order. On Monday, police said at least eight PTI leaders were in protective custody, including Mr Afridi. They added that the list also includes KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati and Mr Akbar.
PTI Claims Remain Unverified
The first reports of an arrest came from people within the PTI. Shafi Jan, an aide travelling with Mr Afridi, and Shahid Khattak, a PTI MNA, both said the chief minister had been taken into custody. The party later issued a statement calling it “political victimisation”.
Party spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram said the developments could not be seen apart from the decision to impose emergency and governor’s rule. He alleged a broader effort to “bypass elected institutions”. He also demanded the “immediate and unconditional release” of the detained leaders and asked the government to disclose the legal grounds for the arrests.
His position appeared less firm in a later appearance on a private TV channel. Mr Akram said the party had only received reports of the arrests of Mr Afridi and Mr Akbar, and that it could not confirm whether Mr Jan and Mr Khattak had also been taken into custody.
“We are unable to contact some people […] Because the internet has been suspended in several areas, we are unable to make contact. You do not know the havoc they have created in KP. People are escaping and going into hiding,” he said.
In a clip on the party’s official X account, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said the party did not know where Mr Afridi was or in what condition he was being kept. “Junaid Akbar is also missing,” he added. Police, however, have since said that the leaders are in protective custody.