DRAFT — Achakzai Demands Sohail Afridi’s Whereabouts in National Assembly
- Suggested slug: achakzai-sohail-afridi-whereabouts-na
- Category: National News
- Focus keyphrase: Sohail Afridi whereabouts
- SEO title: Achakzai Demands Sohail Afridi’s Whereabouts in NA
- Meta description: Achakzai demanded Sohail Afridi’s whereabouts in the National Assembly as the opposition sought production orders for six missing PTI MNAs.
- Tags: Sohail Afridi, Mehmood Khan Achakzai, National Assembly, KP governor’s rule, PTI, production orders, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- Original element: explainer context — what production orders under Rules 109/110 mean, the six named MNAs with constituencies, and the Oct 11 governor’s rule background from our prior coverage.
- Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/2038330/in-na-achakzai-demands-to-know-sohail-afridis-whereabouts (Dawn, published 19 Oct 2026)
- Story date: 19 October 2026
- Image file: hourly-0032-achakzai-sohail-afridi-whereabouts-na.webp
- Image title: Mehmood Khan Achakzai Sohail Afridi National Assembly
- Image alt: Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Sohail Afridi as the Sohail Afridi whereabouts row reaches the National Assembly
- Image caption: Mehmood Khan Achakzai (right) raised Sohail Afridi’s disappearance on the floor of the National Assembly. Image: Dawn
- Image credit: Image: Dawn
—
Achakzai Demands Sohail Afridi’s Whereabouts in National Assembly
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Mehmood Khan Achakzai on Monday demanded on the floor of the House that details about Sohail Afridi’s whereabouts be shared, deepening the row over the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister’s disappearance.
Afridi has become non-functional as the KP chief minister and has not been seen since the imposition of governor’s rule and emergency in his province on October 11. A federal minister said a day after the proclamation that Afridi and some of his cabinet members were in preventative custody. The PTI has also alleged the detention and arrest of several of its other members, including lawmakers and ministers.
“Afridi and six to seven other MNAs of the opposition party are missing since the proclamation of emergency and governor’s rule in KP. At least we and their families should know where they are,” Achakzai said after reaching the House some time after the session began.
“You have attacked the assembly of a province”
Continuing his criticism of governor’s rule, Achakzai told the House, “You have attacked the assembly of a province,” and called for the issuance of production orders for the missing lawmakers. Deputy Speaker Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah was presiding over the proceedings.
The chief whip of the opposition, MNA Amir Dogar, also submitted an adjournment motion seeking production orders for six “missing” PTI MNAs: Amjad Ali Khan (NA-02), Junaid Akbar (NA-09), Fazal Muhammad Khan (NA-25), Zubair Khan (NA-42), Haji Imtiaz Ahmad Choudhry (NA-68) and Nasim Ali Shah (NA-39).
The motion, moved under Rule 109 read with Rule 110 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007, termed the reported detentions “a matter of definite and urgent public importance”. It said the detention of elected representatives raised serious concerns about democratic institutions, public representation and the constitutional privileges of lawmakers, and asked that regular business be set aside to debate the matter urgently.
What production orders mean
A production order is a direction from the Speaker or the House requiring that a detained member be brought to attend the sitting. Rules 109 and 110 give the National Assembly a formal route to secure the presence of a member held in custody, so that an elected representative is not cut off from Parliament without the House being informed.
The opposition’s move therefore does two things at once: it forces the government to account for the missing men on the record, and it tests whether the treasury will allow the issue to be debated rather than buried in procedure.
Thin attendance and a quorum scare
The session itself was a lacklustre affair. Proceedings began at 5pm with federal ministers absent and members in low attendance. PPP MNA Agha Rafiullah criticised the government for what he called a lack of interest in legislation, pointing to the empty front rows. Dogar backed him, saying the opposition had been making the same complaint for three years.
Dogar then pointed out the lack of quorum. At least 65 members are needed to put the House in order. The deputy speaker paused proceedings to round up members, and the quorum was found complete after two counts before business resumed. The House was later adjourned until Tuesday morning.
The row over Afridi sits inside the wider governor’s rule confrontation. Federal minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry has rejected claims linking the move to mineral extraction, while PPP leader Sharjeel Memon says his party was the last to favour governor’s rule and wanted dialogue first.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Sohail Afridi?
Sohail Afridi is the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister. He has not been seen in public since governor’s rule and emergency were imposed in the province on October 11.
What are production orders?
Production orders are formal directions from the House or the Speaker requiring a detained member of the National Assembly to be brought to attend its sittings, under Rules 109 and 110 of the Assembly’s rules.
Which MNAs does the opposition say are missing?
The adjournment motion names Amjad Ali Khan (NA-02), Junaid Akbar (NA-09), Fazal Muhammad Khan (NA-25), Zubair Khan (NA-42), Haji Imtiaz Ahmad Choudhry (NA-68) and Nasim Ali Shah (NA-39), along with the chief minister.
What happened on October 11?
The federal government imposed governor’s rule and emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa through a presidential proclamation, a move the opposition calls an attack on the provincial assembly’s mandate.
