PESHAWAR: Authorities sealed off key roads in Peshawar with shipping containers overnight, and mobile phone signals were reported down in several districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, as a long march led by Chief Minister Sohail Afridi continued and the ruling party warned against any move to impose emergency or governor's rule.
Police were deployed at the blockades, turning people back and leaving residents struggling to get around the provincial capital. Containers were placed on all routes leading to the Peshawar Cantonment area, effectively closing off what local media described as the city's "red zone." Roads blocked included Qila Bala Hisar on G.T. Road, Tehkal on University Road, and Kohat Road and Shami Road, which were closed to all traffic.
Mobile signals were reported suspended in Peshawar, Mardan, Khyber and Swabi, among other areas. A heavy police contingent was stationed at Bala Hisar Fort.
Unnamed sources told local media that Afridi was effectively confined to the Chief Minister's House. The claim could not be independently verified.
Assembly speaker protests security withdrawals
Separately, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati sent an urgent letter to the provincial police chief expressing "grave concern" over the reported withdrawal or suspension of security for lawmakers.
The letter said security for assembly members is governed by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly (Powers, Immunities and Privileges) Act 2026 and cannot be withdrawn without legal justification and due process. Swati directed police not to recall or end the deployment of guards assigned to any member without meeting those requirements, and to immediately restore security for lawmakers whose protection had already been withdrawn.
He warned that pulling security in the province's current conditions could expose legislators to serious danger, and said that any harm to a member would be taken seriously and dealt with under the law. He said protecting elected representatives and complying with the legal requirements governing their security were essential.
PTI leadership rejects emergency rule, backs march.
In Islamabad, a joint meeting of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) political and core committees discussed what the party called the possible imposition of emergency or governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, counterterrorism measures and the ongoing march.
In a joint statement, the committees said they would strongly oppose any such move, calling it a direct attack on the democratic mandate of the province's people, its elected assembly and its constitutional rights. They said it would deepen political tension, public unrest and a sense of deprivation.
The committees also said the constitutional and democratic rights of people in the merged former tribal districts must be protected, and that the aim of mainstreaming those areas was to safeguard their rights and end their sense of marginalization. They said the party would oppose any step contrary to that goal.
The statement said PTI unconditionally condemns all forms of terrorism and stands against militants. But it said the approach to countering terrorism should give primary weight to resolutions passed by the provincial assembly, the unanimous position of the province's political and parliamentary parties, and consultation with elected representatives, so that measures have public trust and cooperation and are sustainable.
The committees welcomed the opposition to governor's rule or emergency by other parties, particularly the Awami National Party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam and Jamaat-e-Islami, and urged other parties to help protect constitutional supremacy, democratic traditions and the public mandate.
Party denies rift with chief minister
The committees expressed full support for the march under Afridi's leadership and full confidence in him. They said peaceful protest to press for constitutional and legal rights, the release of PTI chairman Imran Khan and other demands is the party's constitutional and democratic right.
They also rejected media reports of differences between Afridi and the party committees as unverified and contrary to fact. The statement said Afridi could not attend the meeting because of his commitments, so no disagreement could have arisen with him, and that no such discussion took place. All members, it said, unanimously reaffirmed confidence in his leadership.
The committees agreed to meet again to decide a joint course of action if any extraordinary constitutional or administrative step is taken in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The party said it would continue to work for constitutional supremacy, respect for the public mandate, the protection of democratic institutions and peaceful political struggle.
