GILGIT: Provincial President of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Junaid Akbar was arrested by Gilgit-Baltistan Police along with several party lawmakers while heading to different areas of Gilgit-Baltistan for election campaign activities, ARY News reported.
According to reports, Junaid Akbar was taken into custody at the Hunza area alongside Members of Assembly Saleem Rehman, Syed Mehboob Shah, Dr Amjad Ali and Naeem Khan. Police officials confirmed that the PTI leaders were travelling as part of the party’s ongoing election campaign in Gilgit-Baltistan.
The arrest of Junaid Akbar triggered a strong reaction from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, who warned that he would personally travel to Gilgit-Baltistan if the detained parliamentarians were not released immediately.
Speaking on the development, the chief minister termed the action “undemocratic and politically motivated,” saying such measures were creating divisions and increasing political hatred in the country. He further alleged that denying a level playing field and attempting to sideline PTI through pressure tactics were damaging the democratic system.
Sohail Afridi also claimed that the caretaker chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan was not responding to his calls. He maintained that Gilgit-Baltistan would not be allowed to become a “no-go area” for political parties and said the people of the region would respond to such actions through their vote in the upcoming elections.
Meanwhile, PTI leaders condemned the arrest of Junaid Akbar and other lawmakers, calling for their immediate release.