Former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Sohail Afridi was alone in his room when police took him into protective custody. According to sources, officers broke the room’s door during the operation at the Chief Minister’s House in Peshawar on October 11. The account also details discussions between Afridi and police officials before his detention.
Sources said police began the operation around noon on October 11. However, official sources said officers did not handcuff Afridi or place him in a prisoner transport vehicle. Instead, he remained with police officials inside the room for approximately 45 minutes.
During the conversation, a police officer asked Afridi how far he intended to take the long march. According to sources, Afridi replied that he had not planned to take the march to Islamabad. He said talks between Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and the federal government had taken place the previous night.
Afridi reportedly told the officer that the federal government had agreed to demands concerning a meeting with PTI’s founder and his transfer to a hospital. He also said party leaders had discussed the matter. According to the account, he planned to announce the march’s cancellation once he received instructions.
Meanwhile, police also took Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, Junaid Akbar and Khalid Khurshid into protective custody. Sources said officers detained these leaders at the Speaker’s House. The operation involving the PTI leaders reportedly lasted around two hours.
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The account provides further details about the operation that began on October 11. It describes the circumstances inside Afridi’s room and the reported exchange between him and police officials. However, these details come from sources cited in the report.
The report also outlines the reported discussions over the long march and the government’s response to PTI’s demands. According to the sources, Afridi intended to end the march after receiving instructions from party leadership. The report does not independently confirm the details of those discussions.