PTI says CM Afridi arrested after emergency imposed in KP

The PTI has rejected the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as a “grave political mistake”, and its provincial president claimed that he and Chief Minister Sohail Afridi had been arrested.

PTI KP President Junaid Akbar said in a post on X that he and Afridi had been taken into custody, Geo News reported. The government has not issued any official statement on the reported arrests.

‘An undemocratic measure’

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said the party “strongly condemned and completely rejected” the decision. “This is an extremely alarming and grave political mistake and an undemocratic measure; the people will never accept such actions against their rights,” he wrote on X, Dawn reported.

His main arguments:

• the people of KP have a constitutional and legal right to their electoral mandate, and peace cannot come from ignoring it or weakening provincial autonomy
• there is “no disagreement on eliminating terrorism”, but the fight against it “cannot be used as a justification to suppress the people’s voice”
• terrorism can only be defeated through national unity and a joint strategy
• “The federation cannot be strengthened by weakening the provinces”

“There is still time; this decision can be withdrawn in a few days,” Gohar said, urging the Centre to “set aside its ego” and accept what he called legitimate demands. “Revisiting political decisions is not a sign of weakness but of wisdom in the national interest.” He said the PTI would raise the issue on every constitutional, legal and democratic forum.

PTI leader Asad Qaiser also condemned the measures, called them an attack on the province’s constitutional rights, and urged implementation of a unanimous resolution adopted by a peace jirga.

Talks and the march

Hours before the decision, the PTI leadership had met at the Chief Minister’s House in Peshawar and agreed to keep its long march going while leaving the door open to talks, The Express Tribune reported. The meeting, chaired by Afridi, called any governor’s rule or emergency unconstitutional.

“The long march will continue, yet we remain ready for talks,” Gohar said on Saturday. “The government does not appear serious about dialogue.” Sources said the march would pause at Swabi if meaningful negotiations began, and Afridi was expected to announce the next phase on October 13.

Afridi told the leadership the party would not change its position on security operations in the tribal districts without consulting jailed PTI founder Imran Khan, saying military operations alone were not the answer to terrorism.

The government’s case

The federal cabinet cited the provincial government’s “deliberate disengagement from the fight against terrorism” as the reason for the emergency. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he would not allow the PTI to “destabilise the economy”. KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi said the step was taken to bring peace and development to the province.

The PTI’s long march, led by Afridi, began in Lakki Marwat on October 4 after talks with the government broke down over counterterrorism cooperation in KP and access to Imran Khan.

What happens next

Separate sessions of the National Assembly and Senate are due on October 13. A governor’s rule proclamation must be laid before a joint sitting of Parliament and lapses after two months unless approved.

This article draws on reporting by Geo News, Dawn and The Express Tribune.