Sohail Afridi preventive custody was confirmed on Monday by Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry. The minister told Reuters that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister and some of his cabinet members were detained on Sunday, after his government was suspended under emergency rule.
“Yes, I can confirm that the chief minister (Sohail Afridi) and some of his cabinet members have been taken into preventive custody,” Mr Chaudhry told Reuters.
He said the detentions happened on Sunday. Those who face cases will be charged and tried, he added, while the others will be released.
Sohail Afridi preventive custody ends a day of official silence
The confirmation answers the question that dominated Sunday. A day earlier, the PTI said Sohail Afridi’s whereabouts were unknown, and the party claimed its chief minister had been taken while leading the protest march towards Islamabad.
At that stage, no official would name him. Mr Chaudhry himself told a television channel that some individuals had been detained over the law and order situation, but he did not say whether Mr Afridi was among them. PTI secretary general Salman Akram Raja said the party did not know where its chief minister was, or what condition he was in.
Sources had told Dawn that Mr Afridi and PTI provincial president Junaid Akbar were under house arrest under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order ordinance. That claim also had no official confirmation. Monday’s statement to Reuters is the first on-record confirmation by name from a federal minister.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has described Mr Afridi’s status as protective custody rather than a formal arrest, according to local media reports. The Reuters report did not state where Mr Afridi is being held, and it did not name the legal provision used for the detention.
A province under emergency rule
The detention sits at the centre of the province’s new order. On Sunday, the president approved emergency and governor’s rule in KP on the advice of the federal cabinet. The PTI long march ended at Swabi once the decision was announced, and the Pakistan Army was deployed in KP in aid of civil power.
Governor Faisal Karim Kundi now runs the province with an advisory council. He chaired the first KP Advisory Council meeting on Sunday, and he has said the administration’s fight is against terrorism, not any political party.
Daily life in Peshawar reflected the change on Monday. Dawn reported that containers blocked roads across the provincial capital as the emergency came into effect. Police also stopped a planned PTI meeting in Swabi by the former chief minister, as the crackdown on the party continued.
What happens next
The legal fight is already under way. The PTI has challenged the KP emergency in the Peshawar High Court, and it has condemned the detentions as political victimisation.
Mr Chaudhry’s test will be his own statement. If cases exist against the detained leaders, charges should now follow in court. If no cases exist, his words point to release. Until the government names the place of detention and the legal basis, however, a gap remains between confirmation and clarity. (Source: Reuters)
Frequently asked questions
Who confirmed Sohail Afridi’s detention?
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry confirmed it to Reuters on Monday. He said the chief minister and some of his cabinet members were taken into preventive custody on Sunday.
What will happen to the detained leaders?
Mr Chaudhry said those who have cases against them will be charged and tried. The others will be released. The government has not yet named the place of detention or the legal provision used.
Why was emergency imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa?
The federal cabinet cited the provincial government’s handling of counterterrorism and a worsening law and order situation. The president approved emergency and governor’s rule on Sunday, and the PTI has challenged the move in the Peshawar High Court.
