PESHAWAR: The brother of non-functional Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Tuesday approached the Peshawar High Court (PHC) to trace his whereabouts.
On October 11, the federal government imposed emergency and governor’s rule in KP, invoking Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution. On the same day, the PTI claimed that the Afridi, along with some of his cabinet ministers and party leaders, had been abducted.
The next day, officials, however, confirmed that Afridi and some of his cabinet members were in preventative custody. The state minister for interior had stated that those against whom cases were pending would be charged and tried, while the others would be released.
Muhammad Amir, Afridi’s brother, filed a petition in the high court, seeking multiple directives for the respondents, including the KP inspector general of police (IGP), Peshawar capital city police officer (CCPO) and others, to immediately take all lawful and effective measures to trace and recover his brother and, if he was found to be in custody, produce him before the high court so that the legality of his detention could be examined in accordance with Article 199(1)(b)(i) of the Constitution.
The petition was filed through senior counsel Bashir Khan Wazir.
He contended that the impugned detention and disappearance of the abductee were “wholly illegal, unlawful, without lawful authority and of no legal effect”, as the respondents had “failed to disclose any lawful order, warrant, abduction order or other legal authority under which the abductee was taken into custody”.
Amir also sought further directives requiring the respondents concerned to submit a comprehensive report on the whereabouts, present condition and legal status of the abductee, along with details of the steps taken to trace and recover him.
The petitioner requested the court to direct the CCPO to submit a detailed report on the alleged incident that took place at around 2pm on October 11, 2026, at the Chief Minister’s House in Peshawar. The report would include the circumstances in which the abductee was allegedly taken away, the security arrangements in place, the persons present and the action taken immediately afterwards.
Afridi’s brother asked the court to direct the respondents to “ensure the preservation and lawful examination of all relevant CCTV footage, security logs, entry and exit registers, duty rosters, vehicle access records and other contemporaneous material relating to the incident, including footage from the relevant entrances, exits and adjoining routes”.
Furthermore, he sought the registration of a first information report (FIR) and a direction for a “prompt, impartial and effective investigation” into the alleged abduction, disappearance and illegal detention of the abductee.
The petitioner requested the court to direct the release of the abductee if he was found to be in unlawful or improper custody.
The petitioner also sought interim relief, requesting the court to direct the respondents, pending the final decision on the instant writ petition, to immediately ascertain Afridi’s whereabouts and submit a preliminary report within a timeframe set by the court. He also requested the court to direct the respondents to produce the abductee before it if he was found to be in the custody or control of any person or authority, so that the legality of his detention could be determined.
The petitioner claimed that on October 11, 2026, at approximately 2pm, the non-functional chief minister was “illegally detained” at the Chief Minister’s House and subsequently “abducted from the premises by unidentified armed and masked individuals in the presence of the capital city police officer (CCPO)”.
Afridi’s brother stated that the precise sequence of events, the identities of the persons involved and the circumstances in which he was taken away require immediate verification through the relevant official record, eyewitness accounts and other available evidence.
He stated that the incident took place at the premises of the Chief Minister’s House, and, according to the information available to the petitioner, occurred in the presence of the CCPO.
“The circumstances in which the abductee was taken away from such a sensitive public institution, despite the reported presence of a senior police officer, raise grave and legitimate concerns regarding the security arrangements, the response of the concerned authorities and the safety and liberty of the abductee,” the petition said.
The petition maintained that the petitioner had reasonable grounds to apprehend that the abductee might have been taken to an undisclosed location and might be held there against his will.
He contended that Afridi’s whereabouts and present condition needed to be immediately ascertained through lawful means.
Afridi’s brother further stated that the identity of the alleged abductors, the means used to remove the abductee from the premises, the vehicles, if any, involved in the incident, and the subsequent route taken by the alleged abductors were matters requiring immediate investigation.
The emergency follows heightened tensions between the PML-N-led federal government and the PTI-led KP government. The Centre and opposition have been at odds over various issues, particularly the counterterrorism policy, which was one of the main reasons cited by both parties behind the breakdown of their Oct 3 talks.
The governor’s rule also coincided with the PTI’s long march to Islamabad, which was being led by Afridi and remained limited to KP.
While the party has vowed to continue with its planned protest, the provincial police have been directed to thwart any such move.