Afghanistan Pakistan

Pakistani authorities have detained 278 members of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after emergency rule was imposed in the northern province, police officials told AFP on Monday.

Two police officials, who requested anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media, said the detentions had taken place since Sunday’s emergency declaration.

The constitutional measures were announced after days of anti-government demonstrations in the PTI-governed province. Thousands of Khan supporters have been marching while calling for his release and voicing wider grievances over difficult economic conditions.

The move also comes as militant violence has increased in the area, particularly near the border with Afghanistan. Islamabad has accused the provincial PTI administration of failing to address the militant threat and said emergency rule was necessary.

PTI said on Sunday that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi had been arrested hours after Pakistan’s presidency announced the measures. An administrative official told AFP, also on condition of anonymity, that Afridi was initially kept in “protective custody” at his official residence before being transferred elsewhere.

The official did not disclose where Afridi had been taken.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is a major support base for Khan’s party. The government said the PTI-led provincial administration would remain “non-functional” until the security situation improves.

PTI has strongly opposed the emergency measures, calling them undemocratic and accusing the federal government of seeking to take power.

Khan, a former cricket star who remains highly popular, has been in prison since August 2023. He faces numerous charges, including allegations of corruption and incitement to violence, after widespread anti-establishment riots in May that year. Khan and his legal team reject the allegations and say the cases are politically motivated.

Source: Khaleej Times, reporting AFP