ISLAMABAD, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- The chief minister of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Sohail Afridi, and several provincial cabinet members have been placed in preventive detention following the suspension of the provincial government under emergency rule, a minister said on Monday.
Leaders of former Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party who are facing legal cases will be formally charged and tried, while the remaining detainees will be released, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry told the media.
The detentions came after the federal government imposed governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, suspending the provincial administration led by the PTI.
The province, which borders Afghanistan, has witnessed persistent militant violence. The federal government has cited security concerns and the provincial administration's alleged failure to effectively address militancy to justify the move.
Khan, who served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022, has been in prison since 2023 while facing multiple legal cases. His party, PTI, has repeatedly demanded his release and criticized actions against its leadership. ■