Pakistan Detains PTI Leaders As Emergency Rule Escalates Standoff With Imran Khan

(MENAFN- Khaama Press) Pakistani authorities have detained Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, several provincial cabinet members and hundreds of supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, escalating a political confrontation following the suspension of the provincial government under emergency rule.

President Asif Ali Zardari declared a state of emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday, October 11, effectively suspending the PTI-led administration. The federal government said the measure was necessary because provincial authorities had failed to adequately address Islamist militancy in the northwestern province, which borders Afghanistan.

Federal junior Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry confirmed that Afridi and some cabinet members had been taken into preventive custody on Sunday in Peshawar. He said those facing criminal cases would be charged and tried, while others would be released. The government has not announced a complete list of those detained.

The detentions followed days of PTI-led demonstrations demanding Khan's release from prison and access to medical treatment. Khan's supporters have been preparing to march to Islamabad to pressure the federal government, while authorities have tightened security and placed barriers along routes leading to the capital.

PTI rejected the emergency declaration, accusing the federal government of using security concerns as a pretext to suppress the opposition and prevent the planned march. Party figures condemned the arrests and demanded the immediate release of detained leaders. Khan's sisters and hundreds of his supporters were also detained, according to reports.

Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said a provincial governor would assume responsibility for administering Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with an advisory council. The arrangement is expected to remain in place initially for six months. Pakistan's constitution allows the federal government to assume provincial functions under specified emergency conditions.

The federal government and military accuse PTI's provincial leadership of failing to curb militant violence, an allegation the party denies. PTI has argued that inadequate federal funding and support have hampered its ability to address security challenges.

The latest developments mark a sharp escalation in the dispute between Khan's party and Pakistan's powerful military establishment. Khan, a former international cricket star who served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022, has been imprisoned since 2023 and remains a central figure in the country's opposition politics.

The confrontation also raises concerns about political stability and provincial autonomy in Pakistan, as the government prepares to prevent PTI supporters from reaching the capital and the party continues to demand Khan's release.

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