Qari Iftikhar detained in Islamabad, JUI-F says
JUI-F says Qari Iftikhar detained by unidentified men in Islamabad on Monday night, November 9, 2026. The party’s Islamabad deputy chief was taken away after plainclothes men stopped the three leaders, held them in their vehicles for about an hour and then let two of them go. His whereabouts are still unknown, and the authorities have said nothing about the incident so far.
Aslam Ghauri, the party’s central spokesperson, said plainclothes men stopped him and his colleagues near E-11. He said four or five of them pushed the group into a vehicle and took his mobile phone and identity papers.
“We were not told which institution these individuals belonged to or why we were being taken into custody,” Ghauri said, according to The Tribune.
Ghauri said he and one colleague were driven around Islamabad for about an hour and then let go, but the men kept Iftikhar and gave no word on where he was being taken.
Qari Iftikhar detained: what the party says happened
A second report, carried by 24NewsHD, gave the three names as Ghauri, Qari Iftikhar and Mufti Khalid. It said they were heading to a wedding in I-11 when over a dozen men in three vehicles stopped them.
The two accounts differ on the place and the number of men. Both agree on the core: three leaders were taken away, driven around Islamabad for nearly an hour and then left on the roadside, apart from Iftikhar.
Iftikhar is the party’s Islamabad deputy chief and teaches at the Jamia Farooq Azam Madrassa, 24NewsHD reported. He is also in charge of the party’s Islamabad office, Tribune reported.
Fazl calls party meeting after detention
After the incident, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman called an important party meeting at his home. Senior leaders are attending, chaired by Fazl, while some members are joining by video link.
Party sources said the meeting is looking at the reported detention and harassment of JUI-F leaders and workers. The core committee will also talk about freeing detained workers, giving them legal help and deciding what the party does next.
The detention comes at a tense moment for the party. The federal government has imposed emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Fazl has been one of its sharpest critics. The opposition alliance TTAP has said the movement against the government may be led by Fazl.
Detention comes amid KP governor’s rule row
Fazl has accused the government of backing out of talks with the PTI and the opposition, and has rejected governor’s rule in the province, saying any emergency should fall on the federal government, which he called illegitimate.
The argument then moved to the National Assembly, where ministers responded by saying Fazl was ignoring his own part in forming and bringing down governments.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, responding to Fazl’s opposition to governor’s rule, said the JUI-F chief seemed unhappy that he had not been given a place in the new provincial set-up.
A PTI and TTAP delegation later came out in full support of Fazl’s National Assembly speech, condemning what it called character assassination by ministers. The Peshawar High Court has also struck off petitions challenging the emergency, while the provincial set-up plans to spend Rs70bn on police and the Counter Terrorism Department and to fill 17,000 vacant police posts.
Pressure on JUI-F grows on more than one front
The party faces pressure on another front too. The Interior Ministry has recommended placing JUI-F social media official Sadaqat Khan on the Exit Control List, after a November 8 request from the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency.
Khan, from Shabqadar in Charsadda, is under investigation for allegedly threatening the chief executive officer of Azaad Digital and running a targeted online campaign against him. The listing would stop him travelling abroad during the investigation.
No authority has confirmed the detention. Until an official statement comes, the incident rests on the party’s account. The whereabouts of Qari Iftikhar, and the reason for his detention, remain unknown.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Qari Iftikhar?
Qari Iftikhar is the JUI-F deputy chief in Islamabad, runs the party’s Islamabad office and teaches at the Jamia Farooq Azam Madrassa.
What happened to Qari Iftikhar on Monday night?
The JUI-F says plainclothes men stopped three of its leaders in Islamabad, held two of them for about an hour and then let them go, and took Iftikhar away. His whereabouts are unknown.
Have the authorities commented on the detention?
No. No authority had commented on the party’s account when the reports were published.
Why is the JUI-F in dispute with the government?
It centres on emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which Fazl has rejected. He accuses the government of backing out of talks with the PTI and the opposition.
What is the JUI-F doing now?
Fazl has called senior leaders to his residence. The core committee is discussing the detentions, efforts to secure releases, legal help and the party’s next steps.
