Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has claimed that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and provincial party president Junaid Akbar were arrested. The party called the action pure political victimisation aimed at weakening the elected leadership of the province.
PTI spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram stated that these steps seek to undermine democratic institutions and ignore the will of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said the moves are not about improving security but about targeting PTI and the provincial government.
The federal government confirmed that some wanted individuals have been detained to maintain law and order. State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry said people not wanted in any case will be released. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar added that some were taken into preventive custody while those facing criminal cases will face the law. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi stressed that any arrests will be announced openly.
Separately, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan strongly condemned the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He called the Centre’s decision a grave political mistake. President Asif Ali Zardari approved the cabinet recommendations after a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The government cited the worsening security situation and shortcomings in the provincial counterterrorism efforts as reasons for the step under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution.
Gohar warned that the decision damages democratic rights and provincial autonomy. He said the people of KP have a clear electoral mandate that must be respected. Peace and stability cannot come by weakening provinces or creating confrontation between the federation and the province. While agreeing that terrorism must be eliminated, he stressed that the fight against militancy should not become a tool to suppress public opinion or limit constitutional powers.
He urged the federal government to reverse the decision, set aside ego, and choose dialogue over force. Strong provinces, he said, form the foundation of a strong federation. PTI leader Asad Qaiser also rejected the emergency measures and called for full implementation of the peace jirga resolution supported by all parties. He vowed that PTI will continue its constitutional and democratic struggle to protect KP’s rights.
Junaid Akbar himself claimed on X that both he and Chief Minister Sohail Afridi had been arrested. The government has not yet issued an official confirmation regarding the reported arrests. The developments follow PTI’s long march toward Islamabad led by the KP chief minister after talks with the government failed.
