Pakistan's PTI Protests Emergency Rule Imposition, Demands Release of Detained Leaders

In Pakistan, former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has protested against the decision to impose emergency and governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The party has called it an attack on democracy and provincial sovereignty. PTI leaders have challenged the decision in court and demanded the release of detained leaders. After a court hearing on Tuesday, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Secretary General Salman Akram Raja and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party Chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai spoke to the media. Meanwhile, a Pakistani high court on Tuesday issued notices to the parties concerned over the alleged illegal detention of former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Sohail Afridi and provincial assembly speaker Babar Salim Swati. The court has asked them to respond within 10 days. The development comes a week after a petition was filed in the Peshawar High Court. Former chief minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sohail Afridi's whereabouts were revealed.