Pakistan Detains Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Under Emergency Rule

Pakistan’s federal government has detained former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and multiple senior members of his cabinet, escalating a sweeping crackdown that dismantled the provincial administration of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.

Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry confirmed to Reuters on Monday that Afridi and several cabinet members were taken into preventive custody on Sunday. Authorities are reviewing whether formal charges will be filed against any of the detained officials; those without pending cases are expected to be released.

The detentions followed the immediate collapse of marathon negotiations between PTI leadership and the federal government on October 2 and 3. PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja stated the talks collapsed over disagreements regarding counterterrorism policy in the province. The deadlock cleared the path for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to recommend emergency measures, which President Asif Ali Zardari signed into effect.

Invoking Articles 232(1) and 234(1) of Pakistan’s Constitution, the presidential proclamation declared that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government could no longer function constitutionally. The decree cited a governor’s report detailing a breakdown in the constitutional system and accused the provincial administration of deliberately disengaging from counterterrorism operations. Article 234 allows Islamabad to assume provincial functions when a state government fails to operate under constitutional provisions, a mechanism historically used during periods of severe political or security crises in Pakistan.

Governor’s rule strips the chief minister, provincial ministers, advisers, special assistants, and the advocate general of their offices immediately. Legislative authority transfers to the national Parliament in Islamabad. To manage the province during the emergency, the federal government established an 11-member advisory council comprising Tariq Mahmood Pasha, Dr. Amir Abdullah, retired Lt. Gen. Nigar Johar, Samar Bilour, Dr. Sarfaraz Ali, Aamir Javed, Dr. M. Irshad, Kifayatullah, Tayyab Qureshi, Usman Saifullah Khan, and Asif Rafiq. Sanaullah Advocate was appointed as the new Provincial Advocate General.

Under Article 245, which permits the military to act in aid of civil power, the federal government authorized the deployment of Pakistan Army troops to protect citizens, property, and government installations across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the duration of the emergency.

Beyond the top-tier political arrests, police operations expanded rapidly into PTI’s organizational base. Peshawar Deputy Inspector General of Police confirmed that eight senior party leaders, including Junaid Akbar and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, were placed in protective custody alongside Afridi.

In the district of Swabi, authorities arrested 169 PTI workers and local office-bearers across Shewa Adda, Yar Hussain, Razar, Swabi Khas, Topi, Lahor, and Gadoon. Police stated the sweeps targeted individuals preparing for PTI’s long march, which began on October 4 after being delayed from its original September 27 start date due to heavy security restrictions. A large police contingent remains deployed throughout Swabi, with officials warning that further arrests are anticipated.

Educational institutions in three Khyber Pakhtunkhwa districts were ordered closed on Monday as security forces consolidated control. PTI leadership rejected the imposition of governor’s rule as unconstitutional and pledged to continue its political struggle despite the dismantling of its provincial government.