Arrest of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Officials Deepens Pakistan Political Crisis
The arrest of Sohail Afridi, chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and several leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has pushed the political crisis between Pakistan’s federal government and the province into a new phase. PTI has approached the Peshawar High Court, seeking the annulment of emergency rule and governor’s rule, and the return of the elected Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.
Salman Akram Raja, PTI’s secretary-general, said the party would pursue legal and political channels to clarify the status and whereabouts of the detained senior officials. He also described the latest session of Pakistan’s National Assembly as lacking legitimacy and significance under the current crackdown.
According to reports, security forces entered a locked room and then moved Sohail Afridi, Babar Saleem Swati, the speaker of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial assembly, and Junaid Akbar, the PTI chief in the province, to an undisclosed location. Government officials have not commented on where they are being held.
At the same time, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, the opposition leader in Pakistan’s National Assembly, warned that Sindh province could be the next target for the imposition of governor’s rule amid disputes over water resources, mines and canals. He opposed the current situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and called for its immediate removal and the return of the province’s elected government.
Achakzai accused the Pakistan Peoples Party of supporting the federal government’s actions and said the central government was seeking to hold on to power through pressure and undemocratic means. His remarks come as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is regarded as one of PTI’s main strongholds, and tensions between the party’s local leaders and the central government have risen in recent months.
Pakistan’s central government has linked the imposition of governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to security concerns and governance crises, but opposition parties and PTI supporters view the move as interference in the will of the province’s voters. The detention of senior local officials and the party’s court petition have widened the political and legal confrontation between Islamabad and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
