A constitutional petition has been filed in the Peshawar High Court (PHC) seeking the immediate recovery of non-functional Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, whose brother alleges he was abducted from the Chief Minister’s House and is being held in illegal custody.
The petition was filed by Muhammad Aamir, the non-functional KP chief minister’s brother, who urged the court to take immediate action, order Afridi’s recovery and direct authorities to produce him before the court, read a statement shared by Sohail Afridi’s Facebook page.
The petitioner alleged that armed and masked men took away the elected chief minister in the presence of the Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Peshawar. He said the alleged abduction and detention violated the Constitution, the law and fundamental human rights.
The petition maintains that Afridi’s life and liberty are at serious risk and that his continued detention, along with the lack of information about his whereabouts, raises grave constitutional concerns. It cites Articles 4, 9, 10 and 14 of the Constitution.
The petitioner has asked the court to direct the CCPO Peshawar to submit complete details of the alleged incident and the security arrangements in place at the time. He has also sought an explanation of his brother’s whereabouts, who is holding him and under what legal authority.
The petition further seeks an independent and impartial investigation into the alleged abduction, the identification of those involved and action against them in accordance with the law.
It also asks the court to order the immediate preservation of CCTV footage, security records and other evidence related to the incident, and direct police officials to submit a detailed report on steps taken to recover the chief minister.
The petitioner has urged the high court to ensure Afridi’s safety, liberty and protection, warning that any delay in addressing the matter could endanger his life. He has requested that the petition be fixed for an urgent hearing.