Suspended KP CM Sohail Afridi, assembly speaker in preventative custody: police

Suspended Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Sohail Afridi and several of his cabinet members are currently in preventative custody, following the imposition of emergency and governor's rule by the federal government in the province. This decision came on Sunday, when the Centre cited the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government's "deliberate" inaction on countering terrorism as the reason for their actions. Opposition parties have denounced this move, alleging it is politically motivated.

On Monday, Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry confirmed the detentions, stating that the chief minister and some cabinet members had been taken into preventive custody. A senior police official also confirmed to Dawn that eight individuals, including Afridi, Junaid Akbar, and assembly speaker Babar Saleem Swati, were placed under preventative custody.

The PTI spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram criticized the federal government's actions, arguing that the arrests were not aimed at addressing security issues, but rather to weaken the PTI, undermine the elected Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, and disregard the democratic will of its people. The federal government has now assumed control of the province, with Governor Faisal Karim Kundi leading a 11-member technocratic KP Advisory Council.

Meanwhile, shipping containers have blocked several roads in Peshawar, and residents have faced internet disruptions and mobile service suspensions. The emergency was triggered by increasing tensions between the federal government and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, which have clashed over counterterrorism policy and other issues. The PTI continues to protest its government's actions, but authorities are prepared to prevent any further demonstrations.