Police officials say 278 members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the party of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, have been detained in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since Sunday. That is when the presidency imposed emergency rule, an extraordinary constitutional step. The two officials spoke on Monday and asked not to be named, because they were not authorised to brief the media. PTI governs the province, and the step followed days of protests calling for Khan's release.
The officials said workers and leaders were held from Sunday onward. They did not give names, and they did not say where the 278 people were taken. The government has said the PTI-led provincial administration will remain "non-functional" until security improves. Until then, the provincial set-up is not expected to carry on as usual.
Where the chief minister is
PTI said on Sunday that Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was arrested hours after the presidency announced the measures. An administrative official, who also declined to be named, described the episode differently. The official said Afridi was placed in "protective custody" at his official residence and was later moved to another location, which the official would not share. The party's account is an arrest; the official's account is protective custody and a later transfer, and the two do not match.
The centre says the PTI government in the province failed to deal with militants, and that this failure is why the presidency acted. The party rejects that explanation. It calls the measures undemocratic and a move by the federal government to take power.
Protests and militant violence
Thousands of Khan's supporters have been marching in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They want him freed, and they have also raised complaints about harsh economic conditions. At the same time, militant violence has been growing, particularly along the border with Afghanistan. The province is a stronghold for Khan's party.
Khan has been in prison since August 2023. He faces a large number of charges, from corruption to inciting violence, after widespread riots against the establishment in May 2023. He and his lawyers reject the allegations and describe them as politically motivated.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- May 2023: Widespread riots against the establishment took place. Charges now faced by Khan include inciting violence and followed those riots.
- August 2023: Khan was jailed. He remains in prison and, with his legal team, calls the cases politically motivated.
- The days before Sunday: Protests in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa demanded his release and aired grievances about harsh economic conditions, while militant violence rose, especially near Afghanistan.
- Sunday: The presidency announced extraordinary constitutional measures and imposed emergency rule. PTI said Sohail Afridi was arrested hours later, and police say detentions of party members began the same day.
- Monday: Two police officials said 278 PTI members had been detained since Sunday. An administrative official said Afridi had been moved after protective custody at his official residence.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa mein emergency lag gayi hai, aur police ke mutabiq 278 PTI workers aur leaders giraftar ho chuke hain. Party kehti hai Chief Minister Sohail Afridi ko arrest kiya gaya, jabke ek afsar kehte hain ke unhein protective custody mein rakha gaya aur phir doosri jagah le jaya gaya. Hukoomat ka kehna hai ke sooba ki PTI government tab tak non-functional rahegi jab tak security behtar na ho. Aam logon ke liye is ka matlab ehtijaj, giraftarian aur sakht security hai, jis se safar aur rozana mamlaat mushkil ho sakte hain.
