Opposition leader in the National Assembly Mehmood Khan Achakzai on Monday asked the government to disclose the whereabouts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. Speaking on the floor of the House, the PTI-backed leader said Afridi, KP Assembly Speaker Babar Salim Swati and six PTI members of the National Assembly had been out of sight since governor's rule and an emergency were imposed in the province on October 11.
Governor's rule is a constitutional arrangement under which a province is run by a governor rather than its elected government. Achakzai said the opposition wanted to know where the chief minister was and whether he was alive, and he asked the government to produce the missing lawmakers before the House.
Missing leaders and the government's account
Achakzai questioned the government's failure to give information about Afridi. "Is he even alive or not? Where are the PA speaker and the six PTI MNAs," he asked, adding that if the authorities had detained the chief minister, they should at least say where he was. He argued that a member of parliament's presence in the House is a right, not a favour from the government, and that parliamentary privileges should be respected even if a lawmaker is held.
The sources give differing accounts of the detentions. Achakzai described the leaders as missing, but a federal minister said a day after the emergency was imposed that Afridi and some of his cabinet members were in preventive custody. The PTI has also alleged the detention and arrest of several other members, including lawmakers and ministers. Chief whip of the opposition Amir Dogar submitted an adjournment motion seeking production orders for six MNAs, saying their reported detention raised serious concerns about democratic institutions. The motion was filed under Rules 109 and 110 of the National Assembly's 2007 rules of procedure.
Opposition warnings and PTI response
Achakzai said the opposition would resist any law it considered contrary to democratic norms and the Constitution. He cited protests in France over inflation, claiming millions had marched without being fired upon, and contrasted that with the government's handling of political dissent, which he alleged had involved killings. He also said the imposition of governor's rule in KP, a province where he said the provincial government held a two-thirds majority, raised serious constitutional questions, and warned that continued measures he considered unconstitutional could push people onto the streets.
During his remarks, the National Assembly's YouTube livestream appeared to blur, and PTI lawmakers accused the government of presiding over a "Form 47 regime" that feared its critics. The cause of the blurring was not explained in the sources. Attendance was also thin, and PPP MNA Agha Rafiullah criticised the government for the absence of federal ministers.
Talking to reporters, PTI chairman Gohar Ali Khan rejected reports that the party's core committee wanted Achakzai to step down as opposition leader. He said Imran Khan had appointed Achakzai and that no one could defy Khan's decisions. The government has not responded to the demands in the sources, and the sources do not say when Afridi or the other members will be produced.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- October 11: Governor's rule and an emergency were imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Afridi's whereabouts were unknown from that day, according to the opposition.
- The day after the imposition: a federal minister said Afridi and some cabinet members were in preventive custody.
- Monday: Achakzai raised the matter in the National Assembly, and Dogar submitted an adjournment motion seeking production orders for six PTI MNAs.
- Same day: Gohar Ali Khan rejected reports that the PTI core committee wanted Achakzai removed as opposition leader.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Qaumi Assembly mein opposition leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai ne KP ke chief minister Sohail Afridi ki kahan hain, yeh sawal uthaya hai. Unka kehna hai ke 11 October ko governor's rule aur emergency lagne ke baad inki khabar nahi mil rahi. Hukumat ki taraf se ek wazir ne kaha ke Afridi aur kuch cabinet members preventive custody mein hain. Aam shehri ke liye yeh abhi siyasi bahas hai, lekin is se sooba ki hukumat aur parliament ke kaam par asar pad sakta hai.
