Afridi, top PTI leaders taken into custody: Talal

Summary

• Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry has confirmed that former Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chief minister Sohail Afridi and several members of his cabinet have been taken into preventive custody following the imposition of emergency measures and governor’s rule in the province.
• According to the police official, eight senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders had been taken into protective custody following the imposition of emergency measures and governor’s rule.
• The detentions came after President Asif Ali Zardari approved Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recommendation to impose emergency rule in KP amid worsening security concerns and tensions between the federal government and the PTI-led provincial administration.

AI Generated Summary

Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry has confirmed that former Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chief minister Sohail Afridi and several members of his cabinet have been taken into preventive custody following the imposition of emergency measures and governor’s rule in the province.

Speaking to Reuters on Monday, Chaudhry said the detentions took place on Sunday. He added that individuals facing cases would be charged and tried in accordance with the law, while those without cases would be released.

The confirmation came a day after KP Information Minister Shafi Jan claimed that Afridi had been arrested and urged people across the province to gather in Peshawar. At the time, no federal government official had publicly confirmed the detention.