In Pakistan, police have taken former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and seven other Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders into protective custody following the imposition of emergency rule amid deteriorating security. The detentions come as the party stages protests demanding the release of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan and access to medical treatment for him.

Those detained include Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati and PTI provincial president Junaid Akbar. Police also arrested 56 PTI workers in Swabi.

President Asif Ali Zardari imposed emergency rule on Sunday, citing a rise in terrorist attacks and a breakdown of the constitutional machinery. The provincial bureaucracy has been reshuffled, while an advisory council will assist the governor in administering the province.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Peshawar on Monday to chair a high-level security meeting. The PTI rejected allegations of links with militants and accused the federal government of failing to provide adequate counterterrorism resources.

The party’s demands include access to Khan’s personal doctors, the release of detained supporters and his sisters, and medical care for his wife, Bushra Bibi. Khan has been in prison since 2023.