Pakistan has imposed emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, suspending the provincial government led by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in a dramatic escalation of the confrontation between the federal government and the party of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan.
President Asif Ali Zardari approved the federal cabinet’s recommendation on Sunday after a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reviewed the security and political situation in the province. The decision came as PTI supporters, led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, were marching towards Islamabad to demand Khan’s release from prison.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the cabinet concluded that the provincial government had deliberately disengaged from counterterrorism efforts at a time of worsening militant violence. The emergency has been invoked under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution, which cover emergency provisions and situations where the constitutional machinery in a province is said to have broken down.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said the governor would run the province’s affairs with the assistance of an advisory council, and that the arrangement was initially expected to remain in place for six months. The federal government has also authorised the deployment of army troops and equipment in the province, under Article 245, to support the civil administration and protect public infrastructure.
PTI leaders condemned the move in strong terms, describing it as a coup disguised as an emergency and an attack on the democratic mandate of the province’s voters. The party says its march is a peaceful exercise of a constitutional right.
Separate sessions of the National Assembly and Senate have been convened for October 13, where the decision is expected to face heated debate. Political observers say the coming days will test both the government’s resolve and the opposition’s street power, with the capital already on high alert.
