Court keeps him in jail for inquiry
Former Gilgit-Baltistan premier and PTI regional head Khalid Khurshid Khan was ordered into prison custody for inquiry on Saturday by an Islamabad anti-terrorism bench hearing a matter tied to demonstrations on 26 November. Officers had formally produced him in connection with an FIR at Aabpara station before Judge Abul Hasanat Muhammad Zulqarnain.
Investigators pressed for a full month of physical custody so they could question him. The bench turned down that bid and directed that he remain in jail under judicial remand instead.
Detention in Peshawar and the high court plea
According to PTI’s official social media account, he was seized on 11 October at the Speaker House in Peshawar. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati and other people were taken in the same episode, the party said.
After word of that detention spread, his son Hanifullah moved the Peshawar High Court. The plea asked for his father’s recovery and for Speaker House camera recordings to be kept intact. Respondents named in the filing include the provincial police chief, the capital city police head, and related officials.
Hanifullah’s filing said unnamed men removed his father from the building near 2am and that local police hesitated to open a separate complaint about the episode.
Earlier cases and how he rose to office
In a separate track, a Gilgit-Baltistan anti-terrorism court in December 2024 convicted him and ordered 34 years behind bars plus a Rs600,000 penalty. That matter alleged he had issued threats against security bodies while addressing a public crowd.
Voters in Astore chose him for the Gilgit-Baltistan assembly on a PTI ticket in the 2020 polls, after which he rose to the chief minister’s post. In July 2023 the Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Court barred him from public office, finding he had secured a GB Bar Council licence with a false academic credential. That judgment ended his time as chief minister and reshaped regional politics.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- July 2023: The GB Chief Court barred him from office over the degree-and-licence dispute, ending his chief ministership.
- 26 November (protest FIR): The Islamabad case at Aabpara relates to demonstrations on this date.
- December 2024: A Gilgit-Baltistan anti-terrorism court imposed a 34-year sentence and a Rs600,000 fine in the security-threat matter.
- 11 October: PTI said he was seized at Peshawar’s Speaker House with the KP speaker and others.
- After 11 October: His son filed a Peshawar High Court plea for recovery and camera-recording protection.
- Saturday (Islamabad ATC): The bench refused a month of physical custody and kept him in jail under judicial remand.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Pehle Gilgit-Baltistan ke wazir-e-ala Khalid Khurshid ko Islamabad ki anti-terrorism court ne jail mein rakhne ka hukm diya hai. Police unhen 30 din pooch-gich ke liye apne paas rakhna chahti thi, lekin court ne yeh maang nahi mani. Yeh mamla 26 November ke protest se juda hai. Ab woh investigation ke dauran jail mein judicial remand par rahenge.
