• Khalid Khurshid, Babar Saleem Swati detained from KP Assembly speaker’s house in Peshawar
• Police claim Khurshid is wanted in connection with multiple criminal cases
GILGIT: Former Gilgit-Baltistan chief minister and PTI’s regional president Khalid Khurshid Khan was arrested along with KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati and several others at the speaker’s house in Peshawar on Sunday night, according to the party’s official social media page.
A police source also confirmed the arrest of PTI’s GB chapter president, saying the former chief minister was wanted in multiple criminal cases.
“Khalid Khurshid and others have been arrested from the speaker’s residence in Peshawar,” the police source said. Sources said Mr Khurshid had been staying at the KP chief minister’s residence since 2023 to avoid arrest by GB police. He reportedly moved to the assembly speaker’s residence on Sunday after the imposition of emergency measures and governor’s rule in KP. Sources could not confirm whether Mr Khurshid would be transferred to GB for court proceedings or taken to another city.
Arrest orders
In December 2024, an anti-terrorism court in Gilgit-Baltistan sentenced Mr Khurshid to 34 years in prison and imposed a fine of Rs600,000 for threatening security institutions during a public gathering.
Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Rehmat Shah also directed the GB inspector general of police to arrest Mr Khurshid and ordered the director general of the National Database and Registration Authority to block his national identity card.
Mr Khurshid had failed to appear before the court despite repeated notices issued during the proceedings. The former chief minister was also named in several police cases related to PTI protests and alleged confrontations with law enforcement authorities in Lahore and Islamabad.
In March 2023, he was accused of using GB police personnel and government resources to provide security for former prime minister Imran Khan during efforts by authorities to arrest the PTI founder in Lahore.
The action followed the federal government’s collection of evidence concerning the alleged use of GB police personnel and resources for Imran Khan’s security.
Mr Khurshid also faced allegations of using official resources to support PTI demonstrations.
Disqualification
Mr Khurshid was elected to the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly from the Astore district on a PTI ticket in the 2020 general elections and subsequently became chief minister.
In July 2023, the GB Chief Court disqualified him from holding public office over allegations that he had obtained a licence from the GB Bar Council using a fraudulent educational degree.
The ruling ended his tenure as chief minister and triggered a political realignment in the region.
Following his disqualification, several PTI lawmakers broke ranks with the party, paving the way for the formation of a coalition government.
Haji Gulbar Khan, a dissident PTI lawmaker, subsequently became the new chief minister of the region.
Despite the court orders and multiple criminal cases, Mr Khurshid had remained outside the custody of GB police until his reported arrest on Sunday.
Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2026