Afridi's brother seeks recovery through PHC

PESHAWAR:

The brother of non-functional Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) chief minister Sohail Afridi on Tuesday moved the Peshawar High Court (PHC) seeking his immediate recovery, arguing that his alleged abduction and continued detention violated his fundamental rights and demanding an independent judicial inquiry into his disappearance.

The petition was filed amid uncertainty over Afridi's whereabouts following the imposition of emergency and governor's rule in K-P on October 11, which brought the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led provincial government to an end and transferred its powers to Governor Faisal Karim Kundi.

Muhammad Aamir, through his counsel Bashir Khan Wazir, alleged that Afridi had been taken away by armed and masked individuals and was being held illegally. The petition asked the court to establish where the former chief minister was being held, who had custody of him, and under what legal authority he was being detained.

"The petitioner and the family members of the abductee are seriously concerned about his safety, physical integrity and continued liberty," the petition stated, seeking the court's intervention "to prevent any further harm".

The federal government said Afridi and some members of his cabinet had been placed in preventive custody, while Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry clarified that Afridi was being held under protective custody and had not been arrested.

In its petition, Aamir's counsel argued that Afridi's public office did not diminish his fundamental rights, stating, "His public office does not diminish his fundamental rights; rather, the circumstances of the present incident call for immediate and effective action by the competent authorities to ascertain his whereabouts and ensure his safety."

The petitioner asked the court to direct the police authorities to trace Afridi and, if he was found in custody within the court's territorial jurisdiction, produce him before the court so that the legality of his detention could be examined.