PESHAWAR: The brother of suspended Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has moved the Peshawar High Court against his alleged illegal detention. The Afridi brother PHC petition seeks his immediate recovery, arguing that the detention violated his fundamental rights.
Afridi brother PHC petition: what the plea says
The petitioner has termed the detention unlawful. He wants the high court to direct the authorities to produce Afridi and set him free without delay.
The plea lands at a court that is already at the centre of the KP crisis. The PTI has challenged the imposition of the emergency in the Peshawar High Court, and a separate petition against governor’s rule is also before the judges.
The province’s lawyers have meanwhile announced a black day and a court boycott to protest the emergency, adding to the pressure on the judiciary.
How Afridi ended up in custody
Afridi was taken into preventive custody at his residence in Peshawar after the federal government imposed emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution.
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry confirmed to Reuters that Afridi and some members of his cabinet had been detained. He said those facing cases would be charged and tried, while others would be released.
The federal government says the PTI-led provincial administration failed to take effective action against terrorism. It has since claimed it holds “credible evidence” of contacts between the PTI and the TTP.
The PTI rejects the entire move as political. Party spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram said the detentions exposed the political nature of the federal government’s actions, arguing they were aimed at weakening the party and overturning the elected provincial government.
A court already full of KP cases
The new petition adds to a growing pile of KP-related cases before the Peshawar High Court. Judges are already weighing the legality of the emergency itself and the governor’s rule.
The PTI had earlier said Afridi was missing after the emergency was imposed, before the government confirmed he was in preventive custody.
Legal experts say the court will first decide whether the detention followed the proper legal process. If the government cannot show lawful grounds, the court can order Afridi’s release.
What happens next
The Peshawar High Court is expected to take up the petition in the coming days. The federal government will be asked to explain the legal basis for keeping Afridi in custody.
The outcome could shape the wider legal battle over the KP emergency, as courts test each step the federal government has taken since imposing emergency and governor’s rule in the province.
FAQs
Who filed the Afridi brother PHC petition?
The brother of suspended Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi filed the petition in the Peshawar High Court against his alleged illegal detention.
What does the petition ask for?
It seeks Afridi’s immediate recovery, arguing that his detention violated his fundamental rights.
Why was Sohail Afridi detained?
He was taken into preventive custody after the federal government imposed emergency and governor’s rule in KP under Articles 232 and 234, citing the PTI-led government’s failure to act against terrorism. The PTI calls the move politically motivated.
