Afridi, who had previously served as the Pakistani minister of states and frontier region and the head of the Narcotics Control Ministry, was arrested in Islamabad under the law on the maintenance of public order in connection with the unrest provoked by the arrest of Imran Khah, the former Pakistani prime minister and the PTI chairman, the report said.
Meanwhile, the arrest of Khan's media adviser Chohan took place in the Pakistani province of Punjab, ARY News reported.
Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said that the authorities had no plans to ban the PTI, but they would take urgent measures against all law violators, the Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.
Asif also expressed government's intention to expose alleged corruption by the previous government of the PTI and expressed regret that Khan had not condemned the protests himself.
Khan was taken into custody on 9 May in connection with corruption involving the Al-Qadir Trust, which he heads together with his wife. The politician is facing an inquiry in the case related to a settlement between the PTI government and a property tycoon, which reportedly caused a loss of 50 billion Pakistani rupees ($17.6 million) to the national exchequer.
Following the arrest of Khan, the PTI urged Pakistani citizens to gather for mass demonstrations to demand the politician's release. Mass protests erupted across the country, with activists setting police vehicles on fire and damaging government property, and the police using gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd. On Monday, Khan called on his supporters to hold peaceful protests and avoid violations of the law.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court of Pakistan declared the arrest of Khan illegal and ordered his immediate release. On Friday, the judicial board of the Islamabad Supreme Court released Khan on bail until May 26. It also barred law enforcement authorities from arresting Khan until 17 May in connection with any new case filed against him after 9 May 9.