Web Desk: Former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Sohail Afridi and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Junaid Akbar have been detained by authorities after reportedly seeking protective custody, according to sources, following the reported imposition of an emergency in the province and notification of a new administration.
The detentions prompted a response from PTI leader Shahid Khattak, who announced Afridi’s arrest in a social media post and called on party supporters to gather in Peshawar.
Khattak also said Akbar and several other party members had been arrested, urging supporters in southern districts, including Karak, to block the national highway and head towards Peshawar.
In his post, Khattak called on residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to come out in support of PTI founder Imran Khan and Afridi, describing the former chief minister as a soldier of the party’s incarcerated founder.
“I am in Peshawar,” Khattak said in his message, urging residents to leave their homes and join the gathering. He added that he would go wherever the crowd was largest.
Khattak also called on people in southern districts, including Karak, to block the national highway and travel to Peshawar.
His statement did not provide details about the circumstances of the reported arrests or identify the authorities involved.
The reported detentions come amid heightened political uncertainty in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa following the federal government’s move to impose an emergency and notify a new provincial administration.
The developments mark a fresh escalation in tensions between the federal authorities and PTI, which has maintained a strong political presence in the province.
However, the circumstances surrounding the reported detentions, including whether Afridi and Akbar formally sought protective custody before being taken into custody, could not be independently confirmed from the information available.
Further details about the legal grounds for the detentions and any official response from the authorities were not immediately available.
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