The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has sought detailed reports from the chief secretary, home secretary, inspector general of police, and capital city police officer by November 3 on petitions seeking the recovery of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, Provincial Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) provincial president Junaid Akbar, former Gilgit-Baltistan chief minister Khalid Khurshid, and other lawmakers allegedly being held in custody.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Syed Arshad Ali and Justice Farah Jamshed issued the written order during the hearing. It directed the relevant authorities to clarify whether the chief minister, assembly speaker, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) provincial president, former Gilgit-Baltistan chief minister, and other lawmakers had been formally arrested.

The court directed the authorities to explain whether, if arrested, they had been nominated in any criminal case and where they were currently being detained. The petitioners counsel argued before the bench that Sohail Afridi was the elected chief minister of the province and had allegedly been placed in illegal detention.

They maintained that the imposition of emergency and governor rule did not justify his unlawful detention under any legal framework. They further stated that his family members had not been officially informed about his whereabouts since his disappearance.

The legal team emphasized that democratic norms and constitutional protections must be upheld by law enforcement agencies. The court adjourned the proceedings until November 3, awaiting comprehensive compliance reports from the summoned officials.

Further legal steps will be determined once the provincial administration submits its official response regarding the detentions.