Overview
- The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday sent petitions over the alleged detentions of Sohail Afridi and others to the chief justice to place the matter before a larger bench for fuller review.
- A petition filed on October 13 by Afridi’s brother seeks the chief minister’s recovery and an independent judicial inquiry into what lawyers call an abduction.
- The complaints follow the October 11 imposition of emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that removed the PTI provincial government and transferred powers to the governor.
- The PHC had ordered authorities to file a detention report by October 30 but the governor’s administration did not comply and its advocate general asked for more time instead of producing the report.
- Petitioners and PTI lawyers say officials have told the court the missing figures are in so‑called protective custody, and PTI has demanded immediate releases and talks, raising the risk of further political tension while the larger bench is formed.