PESHAWAR: Protective Custody of Sohail Afridi has come into focus as new details emerge regarding the former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister, Provincial Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, PTI Provincial President Junaid Akbar, and other prominent party leaders in Peshawar.
According to official sources, law enforcement authorities initiated the operation at 12:00 PM on October 11, entering the CM House where Sohail Afridi was found alone inside his room with the door secured.
Protective Custody of Sohail Afridi: Talks and Departure Plans
Sources reveal that rather than a coercive detainment, the former chief minister was treated with decorum. He was neither handcuffed nor transported in a standard prisoner van.
Instead, security officers spent approximately 45 minutes in dialogue with Afridi inside the room. Following the discussion, he was respectfully escorted to an official vehicle and moved to a secure location.
During the exchange, police officials questioned Afridi regarding the intended destination of the political long march. Afridi reportedly maintained that the march was not intended to enter Islamabad, noting that discussions had taken place with Maulana Fazlur Rehman and that federal authorities had allegedly agreed to demands regarding a meeting with the founding PTI chairman and his medical transfer. Afridi added that instructions were already in place to call off the march upon receiving final confirmation from party leadership.
When questioned about recent amendments to the Police Act, Afridi indicated that the measure was intended to exert administrative pressure rather than effect permanent structural changes.
Custody of Babar Swati, Junaid Akbar, and Other Leaders
Simultaneously, operations were conducted at the Speaker House, leading to the protective custody of former KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, Junaid Akbar, and Khalid Khursheed.
Official sources noted that Junaid Akbar was found inside a kitchen storage annex of the Speaker House.
Also Read: Pashtun Youths Raise Concerns Over Alleged Rs4 Billion Transfer by Sohail Afridi
An additional Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) and a PTI social media representative were also taken into custody during the two-hour operation.
Backdrop of Emergency and Governor’s Rule
The high-profile protective custody measures transpired in the wake of the announcement regarding the imposition of emergency and Governor’s Rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a development that has heightened political tensions across the province.
