PESHAWAR: The political situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has become extremely tense following the reported imposition of emergency measures and governor’s rule in the province, with reports indicating that Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi has been taken into custody.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) provincial president Junaid Akbar Khan confirmed the reported development in a post on the social media platform X, stating that he, too, had been arrested along with the chief minister.
In his post, Akbar said the reported arrests of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi and PTI’s provincial president, Junaid Akbar Khan, demonstrated the extent to which fascism had taken root in the country.
وزیراعلیٰ خیبر پختونخوا محمدسہیل آفریدی اور صوبائی صدر پاکستان تحریک انصاف خیبرپختونخوا جنید اکبر خان کی گرفتاری اس بات کا ثبوت ہے کہ ملک میں فاشزم کس حد تک سرایت کر چکا ہے۔ جمہوری اقدار، آئین و قانون اور عوامی مینڈیٹ کو مسلسل پاؤں تلے روندا جا رہا ہے۔ سیاسی اختلاف کا جواب دلیل اور جمہوری عمل کے بجائے گرفتاریوں اور ریاستی جبر سے دیا جا رہا ہے۔
آخر کتنی نفرتیں بوئیں گے؟ کتنی آوازیں دبائیں گے؟ کتنے لوگوں کو گرفتار کرکے عوام کے حوصلے توڑنے کی کوشش کریں گے؟
یہ یاد رکھیں! گرفتاریوں، دھمکیوں اور جبر کے ہتھکنڈوں نے نہ پہلے ہمیں جھکایا تھا، نہ آج جھکا سکیں گے۔ سیاسی جدوجہد کسی رہنما کی گرفتاری سے ختم نہیں ہوتی،
— Junaid Akbar (@JunaidAkbarMNA) October 11, 2026
He said democratic values, the Constitution, the rule of law and the public mandate were being repeatedly trampled upon. He added that political dissent was being met with arrests and state coercion rather than reasoned debate and democratic processes.
“How much hatred will you sow? How many voices will you silence? How many people will you arrest in an attempt to break the people’s resolve?” Akbar asked.
The PTI leader maintained that arrests, threats and coercive tactics had failed to make the party bow in the past and would not force it to surrender now. He added that political struggle did not end with the arrest of any individual leader.
Meanwhile, informed sources said that a complete ban on meetings with the chief minister had been imposed immediately after the emergency was enforced in the province.
In addition, entry into the Chief Minister’s House was prohibited, while the number of staff members allowed to remain inside the premises was also sharply restricted.
