Sohail Afridi whereabouts remained unknown on Monday, a day after the federal government imposed emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The PTI says its chief minister was taken into custody on Sunday (October 11) while he was leading the party’s protest march towards Islamabad. Officials, however, have not confirmed any arrest.
The first claims came from inside the march itself. Shafi Jan, an aide travelling with Mr Afridi, said his boss had been taken into custody, and PTI MNA Shahid Khattak made the same claim. The party then condemned the arrests in a formal statement, calling them political victimisation.
Sohail Afridi whereabouts: house arrest reports, but no official word
No government department has confirmed the detention so far. Sources told Dawn that Mr Afridi and the PTI’s provincial president, Junaid Akbar, were under house arrest under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO). That claim, too, has had no official confirmation.
Party spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram linked the reported arrests directly to the emergency decision. He demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Mr Afridi, Mr Akbar and every other political detainee held in the ongoing action. He also asked the federal government to state the legal grounds, the specific charges and the procedural basis for the arrests.
Mr Akram sounded less certain in a later appearance on Geo News. The party had received reports of the arrests of Mr Afridi and Mr Akbar, he said, but could not confirm whether Mr Jan and Mr Khattak had also been taken. Internet services had been suspended in several areas, and the party had lost contact with some of its people. Others had gone into hiding.
Party leaders say they cannot reach their chief minister
PTI secretary general Salman Akram Raja made the party’s position plain in a clip shared on its official X account. “We do not know where Sohail Afridi is,” he said, adding that the party did not know his condition either and that Mr Akbar was also missing.
In another statement, the PTI claimed Mr Afridi, KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati and Mr Akbar had been abducted. It said many PTI MNAs and MPAs had already been taken in recent weeks. PTI KP deputy information secretary Ikram Khatana said the arrests showed the federal government could not compete with the people.
The only official response came from State Minister for Interior Tallal Chaudhry. He told Geo News that some individuals had been detained in view of the law and order situation. He did not confirm whether Mr Afridi was among them. Those who were not wanted in any case would be released, he said, while those wanted in criminal cases would be dealt with accordingly. Reuters has also reported that restrictions were placed on Mr Afridi’s movements, citing one of his close aides.
A province under emergency rule
The reported detention sits at the centre of the province’s new political order. Mr Afridi led the march out of Peshawar, and the PTI long march ended at Swabi once the emergency was announced. The president approved emergency and governor’s rule in KP on the cabinet’s advice on Sunday. Since then, the Pakistan Army has been deployed in KP in aid of civil power.
The legal fight has already begun. The PTI has challenged the KP emergency in the Peshawar High Court, and normal life is feeling the strain, with schools closed in three KP districts on Monday.
What happens next
A clear official statement on the detentions is now the key test. If Mr Afridi is being held under the MPO, the government can end the speculation by saying so and naming the legal basis, as the PTI has demanded. If he is not in custody, his party needs to account for his absence. Until one side settles the question, the whereabouts of a provincial chief minister remain an open question at the heart of the emergency. (Source: Dawn)
Frequently asked questions
Where is Sohail Afridi?
His location is not confirmed. The PTI says he was taken into custody on Sunday while leading the protest march. Sources say he and Junaid Akbar are under house arrest under Section 3 of the MPO, but no official has confirmed this.
Who else does the PTI say was detained?
The party says provincial president Junaid Akbar and KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati were also taken. It could not confirm reports about aide Shafi Jan and MNA Shahid Khattak.
What has the government said about the reported arrests?
State Minister for Interior Tallal Chaudhry said some individuals had been detained over the law and order situation. He did not confirm whether Mr Afridi was among them, and said those not wanted in any case would be released.
