KP Governor Kundi says Sohail Afridi, assembly speaker 'in safe hands' after house arrest

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi declared on Sunday that Sohail Afridi and Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati were "in safe hands" following their house arrest. Afridi, now rendered non-functional as chief minister, had not been seen since the Centre imposed governor’s rule and emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on October 11.

Initially, a federal minister confirmed the next day that Afridi and some of his cabinet members were in preventative custody. However, without further official details, Afridi’s brother and Swati’s cousin approached the Peshawar High Court separately to seek their release. During a segment on Geo News' TV program 'Jirga' aired that night, Kundi, who now governs the province, discussed Afridi’s whereabouts.

He stated that Afridi had been placed under house arrest and was "in safe hands, there is no need to worry." Kundi also mentioned that Speaker Swati was likewise under house arrest and would be released if no charges were brought against him. When asked about Afridi's release, Kundi indicated that he could provide an update the following day.

The governor accused Afridi of engaging in "illegal and unconstitutional" actions while serving as Assembly Speaker. Kundi admitted that he did not have the exact figures regarding self-arrests and genuine arrests, but estimated that around 40-50% of the individuals were either self-imprisoned or in hiding. Kundi defended the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule, stating it was the "absolute last option."

He also predicted that the emergency might last longer, although he clarified this was his "personal opinion." Kundi expressed the need for the Centre and the province to be aligned in their approach to counter-terrorism and streamline efforts against it, though he did not disclose specific plans. Moreover, Kundi refuted the ARDC member Malik Khan Marjan's suggestion of dialogue with the Afghan Taliban, emphasizing that the state policy opposes such talks for now.

Kundi condemned terrorism originating from Afghanistan and criticized Kabul for enabling India's actions against Pakistan while requesting dialogue. He firmly stated that there would be no dialogue or negotiations on this matter.