Sohail Afridi’s Brother Moves Peshawar High Court for His Recovery, Calls Detention From Chief Minister’s House Illegal and Seeks His Production Before the Court

PESHAWAR: Muhammad Amir, the brother of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s non-functional chief minister Sohail Afridi, filed a constitutional petition in the Peshawar High Court on Tuesday seeking his immediate recovery and production before the court. The petition was filed through counsel Bashir Khan Wazir.

What the petition says

According to the petitioner, Afridi was taken from the Chief Minister’s House in Peshawar on October 11 by armed, masked men while the Capital City Police Officer was also present, and his whereabouts have not been disclosed since. The petition describes the move as a violation of Articles 4, 9, 10 and 14 of the Constitution, arguing that depriving an elected chief minister of his liberty and withholding information about him is a grave constitutional matter. It asks the court to establish where Afridi is being held, who has custody of him and under what legal authority.

CCTV preservation and an independent inquiry sought

The petition also asks that the CCPO Peshawar submit complete details of the incident and the security arrangements in place at the time, that CCTV footage and other evidence be preserved, and that an independent and impartial investigation be ordered with action against those responsible. The provincial inspector general of police and other relevant officials have been named as respondents.

The government’s position

The federal government says Afridi and some of his cabinet colleagues are in preventive custody, while Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry has clarified that Afridi has not been arrested, adding that those facing pending cases will be proceeded against under the law and the rest released. Emergency and governor’s rule were imposed in the province on October 11 under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution, after which provincial powers passed to Governor Faisal Karim Kundi.