PESHAWAR (Web Desk ) – The brother of suspended Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has approached the Peshawar High Court (PHC), seeking directions to establish his whereabouts and clarify the legal status of his reported detention.
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Muhammad Amir filed a petition through senior counsel Bashir Khan Wazir, requesting the court to direct the relevant authorities, including senior police officials, to take legal measures to locate Afridi and present him before the court if he is in custody.
According to the petition, Afridi was allegedly taken from the Chief Minister’s House in Peshawar on October 11 by unidentified individuals. The petitioner has requested an official account of the incident and details of the legal authority, if any, under which his brother was detained.
The allegations contained in the petition have not been independently verified.
Request for investigation
The petitioner has asked the court to direct the relevant authorities to submit a report detailing Afridi’s whereabouts, present condition and legal status.
He has also requested the preservation and examination of relevant records, including CCTV footage, security logs, entry and exit registers and vehicle access records, to help establish the sequence of events.
The petition further seeks an investigation into the reported incident and requests that Afridi be released if the court determines that his detention is unlawful.
The court’s findings, if any, and the responses of the relevant authorities would be necessary to clarify the circumstances surrounding the reported detention.
Political tensions in KP
The development comes amid heightened political tensions between the federal government and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which previously led the provincial government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
On October 11, the federal government announced emergency measures and governor’s rule in the province, invoking Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution.
The following day, federal officials confirmed that Afridi and some provincial cabinet members had been placed in preventive custody. Officials stated that individuals facing pending cases would be dealt with under the law, while those without such cases would be released.
The developments followed a breakdown in negotiations between the federal government and opposition representatives, with disagreements over counterterrorism policy and other political issues contributing to tensions.
The latest petition seeks judicial intervention to establish Afridi’s whereabouts and examine the legality of his reported detention. Further developments will depend on the response from the relevant authorities and any directions issued by the high court.
