• IHC Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir hears KP CM’s plea.
• Registrar’s office initially raised objections over petition.
• Consultation with Imran must for KP cabinet formation: Afridi.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday removed registrar office’s objections on a petition filed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi seeking meeting with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan in Adiala jail.

IHC Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir heard the plea and issued notices to the interior secretary, the Punjab Home Department secretary, the inspector general of police, and the superintendent of Adiala jail. The court directed authorities to submit their responses by October 23.

Afridi moved IHC on October 17, just two days after being sworn in as KP chief minister on October 15. A day earlier, on October 16, he had obtained protective bail from the PHC and proceeded to Adiala jail — where PTI founding chairman Imran Khan has been incarcerated — to seek a meeting with him. However, the prison authorities denied the request.

Following the denial, he approached IHC but the registrar’s office initially raised objections over the maintainability of his petition.

During the hearing, Afridi’s counsel Advocate Ali Bukhari appeared before the court and informed IHC that the registrar’s office had raised multiple objections to the petition.

Subsequently, after hearing arguments, the court issued notices to the Adiala jail superintendent and others for October 23.

In his plea, CM Afridi maintained that consultation with PTI founder is must for the formation of cabinet in KP and guidance on provincial governance. 

In the application, CM Afridi stated that he is the elected chief minister and represents a population of 45 million people. He added that the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa voted for the PTI in the 2024 general elections, through which the party secured 92 seats.

The plea maintained that the PTI founding chairman is currently imprisoned in Adiala jail, and a meeting with him is essential, especially given the current law and order and economic challenges facing the province.

Prince Andrew may not be finished making headlines as royal experts have warned that he could consider making a bombshell move to get back at the royal family.

According to The Sun, the former Duke of York could end up writing a book or speaking out if he feels further isolated from the monarchy.

After giving up his Duke of York title and stepping back from public duties due to his connection with Jeffrey Epstein, questions remain about what role he still has within the royal family.

Speaking with the publication, royal expert Phil Dampier said that if he is removed from his royal residence or from other official positions, Andrew or even his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson might choose to share their side of the story publicly.

“If he is forced into a corner and completely put into exile, who’s to say that he or his ex-wife won’t write another book… or start hitting back?” Dampier said.

He added, “If enough pressure was put on him, he could voluntarily stop calling himself a prince too. He can’t have that taken away from him – that would be a last resort.”

“But the trouble is just when you think it can’t get any worse for Andrew, it does. So the options to ‘punish’ him are running out,” he continued.

“They can try and force him out of Royal Lodge, but they’ve already tried that before. He’s a Counsellor of State, they could have that taken away… he could be taken out of the line of succession or they could take away his princehood.

“But that would be virtually impossible without him voluntarily doing it.”

• Peter Hawkins among 15 int’l UN staff detained.
• UN says detained staff are “safe and accounted for”.
• UN in touch with authorities in Sanaa for staff’s release. 
  

The United Nations’ (UN) office in Yemen said on Sunday that Houthi rebels were still holding 20 of their staff following their raid on their building in Sanaa a day earlier.

On Saturday, the UN office said Houthi security forces had made an “unauthorised entry” into their compound, adding that the staff there were “safe and accounted for”.

“Five national staff and fifteen international staff remain detained within the compound,” Jean Alam, spokesperson for the UN resident coordinator, said on Sunday.

The UN was in touch with the authorities in Sanaa, with the relevant member states and the government of Yemen “to resolve this serious situation as swiftly as possible, end the detention of all personnel, and restore full control over its facilities in Sanaa”, it added.

Late on Sunday, a UN official, requesting anonymity, told AFP that United Nations Children’s Fund’s (Unicef) representative in Yemen was among those detained.

“Peter Hawkins is among the 15 international employees detained in the complex” the Huthis raided the previous day, the official said.

Spying accusations

The rebels had already stormed UN offices in Sanaa on August 31, detaining more than 11 employees, according to the UN.

Those employees were suspected of spying for the United States and Israel, a senior Houthi official told AFP at the time on condition of anonymity.

In a statement on Saturday, UN Secretary-General Stephane Dujarric’s spokesperson said: “We will continue to call for an end to the arbitrary detention of 53 of our colleagues.”

He was responding to a televised address on Thursday by rebel leader Abdelmalek al-Huthi.

He claimed his forces had dismantled “one of the most dangerous spy cells”, which he said was “linked to humanitarian organisations such as the World Food Program and Unicef”.

Dujarric described the accusations as “dangerous and unacceptable”.

Saturday’s raid came with dozens of UN personnel already arrested in recent months in areas controlled by the Iranian-backed group.

In mid-September, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Yemen was officially transferred from Sanaa — the capital held by the Huthi rebels — to Aden, the interim capital of the internationally recognised government.

Since August 31, 2025, 21 UN personnel have been arrested, adding to the 23 current and former members of international NGOs already detained, according to the UN.

Ten years of civil war have plunged Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the Arabian Peninsula, into one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, says the UN.