Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said on Monday that the whereabouts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi have been unknown since the imposition of governor's rule in the province. Talking to the media outside Parliament House, Gohar claimed his party was being subjected to political victimisation under the guise of governor's rule.
"You have imposed governor's rule and a state of emergency - measures that we reject. However, there is no disagreement that terrorism must be brought to an end," he said.
Gohar condemned the 30-day extension in the detention of the PTI founder's sisters, noting that Aleema Khanum was apolitical yet her detention was still extended. He added that 12 of their National Assembly members were currently in custody, while the chief minister's whereabouts remained unknown.
He also claimed that supporters were being arrested, raids conducted, and party flags removed across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Replying to a question, Gohar mentioned that the PTI founder had entrusted a responsibility to Sohail Afridi, and in his view, the chief minister had performed excellently.
Separately, senior party leader and former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser said the parliamentary committee's decision held legal standing within the party. He explained that he had consulted the party's parliamentary leader in the Senate, Senator Barrister Ali Zafar, and that all parliamentary matters were discussed within the parliamentary party.
The PTI legislator pointed out that both the Core Committee and the Political Committee had defined roles under the party constitution to enhance coordination. Emphasising that future policy decisions should be formulated in consultation with the parliamentary party, Qaiser reiterated the committee's legal validity.
Meanwhile, PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram accused the rulers of double standards, claiming they toppled the PTI government in KP for reasons unrelated to peace and security. Waqas reaffirmed that PTI supported a negotiated settlement with Afghanistan and called for meaningful consultation with jailed party founder Imran Khan, stating the country could not overcome its crisis through repression or force.
Slamming the government's contradictory approach to security, he questioned why federal ministers remained silent on a proposal for talks with the Taliban by Khan Marjan, Deputy Chairman of the Regional Representation and Development Council, after vehemently opposing a similar initiative when proposed by PTI.