Politicians from the party of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan were detained after the suspension of a provincial government now under emergency rule, the federal government said on Monday.
Pakistan's president declared a state of emergency and suspended the government in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, led by Khan aide Sohail Afridi, on Sunday.
The federal government said the emergency rule was invoked after the provincial government failed to tackle Islamist militancy in the province, which borders Afghanistan.
Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party rejected that assertion, saying it was done to deter his supporters from marching to Islamabad, the capital, to pressure the government for his release.
The imposition of emergency rule and suspension of the provincial government have sharply escalated confrontation between the 74-year-old former cricket star and the country's powerful military.
Emergency rule came after long march call
The emergency rule came a week after Khan's supporters had rallied for days in the province, intending to march to Islamabad to demand his release and provide medical treatment.
"Yes, I can confirm that the chief minister and some of his cabinet members have been taken into preventive custody," minister Talal Chaudhry told Reuters.
If any of them have any cases to be tried against them, they will be charged and tried, but the others will be released, he said, adding that the detentions occurred on Sunday at the provincial chief minister's house in the northwestern city of Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Witnesses and officials said the chief minister's house and other important facilities in the vicinity had been cordoned off with a heavy police presence, paramilitary forces and shipping containers.
Khan aide Shaukat Yousafzai condemned the detentions and demanded their release.
Khan's three sisters and hundreds of his supporters were detained ahead of the planned march.
The party's last large-scale protest two years ago ended in deadly clashes with security forces and Khan's 2023 arrest sparked nationwide riots that led his supporters to attack military installations.
Talks broke down on militancy issue
Pakistan's constitution allows the government to take over from provincial authorities during an emergency.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said a provincial governor would take charge in the province after President Asif Ali Zardari declared a state of emergency. The province has suffered an increasing number of militant attacks in recent months.
The federal government and the military accuse Khan's PTI of failing to curb militants, a charge the party denies.
The government and the PTI held several rounds of talks since the call for the march was made last month.
The government was ready to accept all of the PTI's demands including a go-ahead for the march, the minister said, adding, "We asked for just one thing, that the party should publicly condemn the militancy and join our hands in the fight against militants."
They did not agree and that is why the talks broke down, he said.