KP under governor's rule: CM Sohail Afridi still held as Peshawar High Court seeks replies
Ten days after the Centre imposed an emergency and governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the PTI chief minister, the assembly speaker and other leaders remain in custody. The court will hear petitions on November 3.
At a glance
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been under a federal emergency and governor's rule since October 11, when President Asif Ali Zardari approved the federal cabinet's advice under Articles 232 and 234.
- Governor Faisal Karim Kundi runs the province with an 11-member advisory council; Parliament has taken over the provincial assembly's law-making powers.
- Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, MNA Junaid Akbar and other PTI leaders remain in custody; a federal minister has said they are in 'preventive custody'.
- On October 20, the Peshawar High Court sought replies from the KP government and police chief and fixed the detention petitions for November 3.
- PTI chairman Gohar Ali Khan has separately challenged the emergency itself as unconstitutional.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has now spent ten days under governor's rule and a federal emergency, and its elected chief minister, Sohail Afridi, is still in custody. On Tuesday, October 20, the Peshawar High Court asked the provincial administration and police to explain the detentions of Afridi and other PTI leaders, and set November 3 for the next hearing.
Where things stand
| Imposed | Sunday, October 11, 2026 |
| Legal basis | Article 232 (emergency) and Article 234 (governor's rule) |
| Signed by | President Asif Ali Zardari, on the advice of PM Shehbaz Sharif's cabinet |
| Running the province | Governor Faisal Karim Kundi (PPP), with an 11-member advisory council |
| Law-making | Transferred from the KP Assembly to Parliament |
| Parliament | National Assembly and Senate passed resolutions endorsing the emergency |
| Detained | CM Sohail Afridi, Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, MNA Junaid Akbar and others |
| Next court date | November 3 (Peshawar High Court) |
The court case
A two-member bench of Justice Syed Arshad Ali and Justice Farah Jamshed sought replies from the KP government and the inspector general of police on several petitions filed by relatives of the detained leaders. They cover:
- Chief Minister Sohail Afridi — his brother says he was taken from the Chief Minister House at about 2pm on October 11;
- KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati — his family says he was taken from the assembly building that evening;
- MNAs Junaid Akbar and Dr Amjid Ali, provincial minister Amjid Ali Khan, MPAs Ikramullah and Aurangzeb Khan;
- former Gilgit-Baltistan chief minister Muhammad Khalid Khursheed.
The petitioners want the court to trace the detainees, preserve CCTV records, order investigations and release anyone held unlawfully. The government has not disclosed where the leaders are held. A federal minister has said Afridi and some cabinet members are in preventive custody, and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has said detainees will be released once order improves unless they are wanted in cases.
PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has filed a separate petition asking the court to declare the emergency unconstitutional. He argues the KP Assembly passed no resolution asking for it, that Balochistan has suffered heavy attacks without an emergency, and that removing the chief minister and cabinet was illegal.
Why the Centre acted
The proclamation cites terrorist attacks of "unprecedented intensity" and accuses the PTI provincial government of distancing itself from the fight against terrorism. Ministers have alleged links between the provincial government and militants but have not made evidence public; PTI denies the claims.
An independent security think tank counted 1,232 militant attacks across Pakistan in the first nine months of 2026, more than in the whole of 2025, with most in KP and Balochistan.
New administrative set-up
- A federal committee headed by Deputy PM Ishaq Dar oversees governance and security in the province.
- An area development secretariat covers 12 designated districts, mostly former tribal areas on the Afghan border and southern districts such as Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Tank and Dera Ismail Khan. It is headed by an additional chief secretary. The government says the province has not been divided.
PTI's response
PTI calls the move a "grave political mistake" and says counter-terrorism must not be used to silence political opponents. Leaders say they will fight it in the courts, Parliament and on the streets. Internet disruptions and school closures were reported in parts of the province in the first days of the emergency.
History
Pakistan's provinces have been placed under governor's rule at least eight times since 1949. KP — then the North-West Frontier Province — faced it in 1975 and 1994.
How long it can last
Governor's rule under Article 234 runs in two-month periods and can last six months in total. The emergency under Article 232, once endorsed by Parliament, has no fixed end date and continues until it is revoked or rejected by Parliament.
Why it matters
KP is home to more than 40 million people and sits on the front line of Pakistan's fight against militancy along the Afghan border. The suspension of an elected government run by the country's largest opposition party deepens Pakistan's political divide, and the courts' handling of the detentions will be closely watched.
What happens next
The Peshawar High Court hears the detention petitions on November 3. Watch for a ruling on Gohar's challenge to the emergency, any release of detained leaders, and whether governor's rule is extended when its first two-month period ends in December.
Questions people are asking
Why was governor's rule imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa?
The federal government says terrorist attacks reached unprecedented levels and accused the PTI provincial government of failing to fight terrorism. President Zardari signed the proclamation on October 11, 2026, under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution. PTI rejects the move as political.
Where is KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi?
He has not been seen in public since October 11. His family says he was taken from the Chief Minister House that day, and a federal minister has said he and some cabinet members are in preventive custody. The Peshawar High Court will hear petitions for his recovery on November 3.
How long can governor's rule last in KP?
Governor's rule under Article 234 can run in two-month periods up to six months. The emergency under Article 232, which Parliament has endorsed, has no fixed end date and lasts until it is revoked or rejected by Parliament.
