Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry on Monday confirmed that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and some cabinet members had been taken into preventive custody.
According to media reports, he said those facing legal cases would be charged and prosecuted, while the remaining detainees would be released.
The detentions followed President Asif Ali Zardari’s approval of emergency and governor’s rule in KP on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s advice, citing the province’s worsening security situation.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan condemned the move as a “grave political mistake”, warning that it would undermine democratic rights and provincial autonomy.
The development came after failed government-opposition negotiations over counterterrorism cooperation in KP and access to incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan, including a meeting with his personal doctor.
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