PESHAWAR: Authorities have detained hundreds of members of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s party after emergency rule was imposed in a northern province, police officials told AFP on Monday.
Two police officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media, said 278 members of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party had been detained in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province since Sunday’s emergency declaration.
The PTI-ruled province was placed under emergency rule following days-long anti-government protests demanding Khan’s release, while militant violence in the area has also been mounting, particularly along the border with Afghanistan.
Thousands of Khan’s supporters have been marching in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, also airing anti-government grievances fuelled by harsh economic conditions.
The hugely popular former cricket star’s party said on Sunday the province’s chief minister Sohail Afridi had been arrested hours after the extraordinary constitutional measures were announced by Pakistan’s presidency.
An administrative official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that Afridi had been placed in “protective custody” in his official residence but later moved to another location.
The official declined to disclose the new location.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is a stronghold for Khan’s party, and the PTI-led government there would be “non-functional” until the security situation improves, the government said.
Islamabad has accused the PTI administration in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of failing to deal with the militants, necessitating the imposition of emergency rule.
The PTI has vehemently opposed the constitutional measures, describing them as undemocratic and a grab for power by the federal government.
Khan has been behind bars since August 2023, facing scores of charges ranging from corruption to inciting violence, following widespread anti-establishment riots in May that year.
He and his legal team reject the allegations, branding them as politically motivated.
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