• Minister says those facing cases, charges will be tried; others will be released
• Opposition leaders flay federal govt move, urge people to launch another democratic struggle
• Achakzai says he’s still willing to meet PM ‘anywhere’
• Gohar terms Oct 11 ‘black day in country’s history’
• Says PTI will move high court against emergency proclamation today

ISLAMABAD / PESHAWAR: Sohail Afridi — who was removed as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister with the imposition of governor’s rule — and some of his cabinet members are in preventative custody, federal ministers confirmed on Monday.

Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry told Reuters, “Yes, I can confirm that the chief minister and some of his cabinet members have been taken into preventive custody.”

If any of them have any cases to be tried against them, they will be charged and tried but the others will be released, he said, adding that the detentions took place a day earlier.

A senior police official privy to the developments also confirmed to Dawn that eight people — including Afridi, MNA Junaid Akbar and assembly speaker Babar Saleem Swati — had been taken into “preventative custody”.

Meanwhile, leaders of the Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-Ayin-i-Pakis­tan (TTAP) alliance termed the federal government’s imposition of emergency and removal of the elected provincial government “an attack on democracy”, and called on the masses to launch another democratic struggle from today (Tuesday).

Speaking to reporters outside Parliament House, opposition leaders Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Raja Nasir Abbas rued that the current regime had “snatched votes of the people and made the judiciary toothless”.

“They snatched the mandate of the people, but don’t want to face the criticism” Mr Achakzai said, adding that he was ready for negotiations anywhere, but was adamant on launching another political struggle. He appealed to the youth of KP to hold protests and made it clear that the TTAP alliance will not compromise on the issue.

Concurring with his NA counterpart’s stance, Mr Abbas said the Centre’s narrative against KP government was fake. “We are facing those who do not speak the truth and consider the Constitution a piece of paper. The pharaoh did the same… It is unfortunate that every person in the opposition has been declared terrorist,” he said.

If terrorism was the main issue, he said, the state of emergency should have been imposed in Balochistan first.

Addressing reporters alongside the opposition leaders, PTI interim chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said that Oct 11 would be remembered as a ‘black day’ in the country’s history. Likening what happened to martial law, he said his party was also against terrorists, but this was not the main issue.

He announced his intention to challenge the federal government’s decision to impose emergency and governor’s rule in KP in the Peshawar High Court today (Tuesday).

Moreover, a parliamentary party meeting the same day would decide on how to stage a protest in parliament, he added.

“We will raise our voice at every forum. Our long march and protest are ongoing,” Barrister Gohar said, adding that the party would not accept emergency and governor’s rule in KP.

Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2026