Islamabad: Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday declared a state of emergency in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and suspended its provincial government, the last administration in the country run by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party.
The dramatic move places the province under federal oversight and strips the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of its final governing foothold in the country.
How the emergency was imposed
Earlier on Sunday, the federal cabinet held a special meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and recommended emergency rule, accusing the provincial government of a "deliberate disengagement from the fight against terrorism." Zardari then issued the proclamation under Articles 232(1) and 234(1) of the Constitution, citing rising terrorist attacks and a breakdown of constitutional machinery in the northwestern province.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said the provincial governor, Faisal Karim Kundi, will take charge of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with an 11-member advisory council, and that the arrangement is initially expected to remain in place for six months.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi defended the move, saying the security situation in parts of the province was so grave that residents did not venture out of their homes after evening in some districts.
PTI calls it a 'disguised coup'
PTI spokesperson Zulfiquar Bukhari condemned the suspension, calling it a disguised coup and arguing that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government held a genuine popular mandate from the February 2024 elections, which the party maintains were rigged.
Al Jazeera reported that PTI's provincial chief minister, Sohail Afridi, was arrested along with the party's provincial president shortly after the announcement. Police also detained several PTI supporters overnight and deployed additional security forces across the province and in Islamabad.
The march that triggered the move
The emergency was declared a day before a PTI protest march was due to enter Islamabad. The march began on October 4 from Lakki Marwat and had covered more than 400 kilometres, reaching Swabi, about 110 km from the capital, when the emergency was declared. The party is demanding medical treatment for Khan, visitor access and fair court hearings in the cases against him.
Khan has been imprisoned since 2023 on corruption and other charges that he says are politically motivated. Despite three years behind bars, he remains Pakistan's most popular opposition figure, and analysts quoted by Nikkei Asia warned the emergency could push the country toward a constitutional breakdown.
Sources:
The Indian Express, Al Jazeera, Nikkei Asia
The dramatic move places the province under federal oversight and strips the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of its final governing foothold in the country.
How the emergency was imposed
Earlier on Sunday, the federal cabinet held a special meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and recommended emergency rule, accusing the provincial government of a "deliberate disengagement from the fight against terrorism." Zardari then issued the proclamation under Articles 232(1) and 234(1) of the Constitution, citing rising terrorist attacks and a breakdown of constitutional machinery in the northwestern province.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said the provincial governor, Faisal Karim Kundi, will take charge of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with an 11-member advisory council, and that the arrangement is initially expected to remain in place for six months.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi defended the move, saying the security situation in parts of the province was so grave that residents did not venture out of their homes after evening in some districts.
PTI calls it a 'disguised coup'
PTI spokesperson Zulfiquar Bukhari condemned the suspension, calling it a disguised coup and arguing that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government held a genuine popular mandate from the February 2024 elections, which the party maintains were rigged.
Al Jazeera reported that PTI's provincial chief minister, Sohail Afridi, was arrested along with the party's provincial president shortly after the announcement. Police also detained several PTI supporters overnight and deployed additional security forces across the province and in Islamabad.
The march that triggered the move
The emergency was declared a day before a PTI protest march was due to enter Islamabad. The march began on October 4 from Lakki Marwat and had covered more than 400 kilometres, reaching Swabi, about 110 km from the capital, when the emergency was declared. The party is demanding medical treatment for Khan, visitor access and fair court hearings in the cases against him.
Khan has been imprisoned since 2023 on corruption and other charges that he says are politically motivated. Despite three years behind bars, he remains Pakistan's most popular opposition figure, and analysts quoted by Nikkei Asia warned the emergency could push the country toward a constitutional breakdown.
Sources:
The Indian Express, Al Jazeera, Nikkei Asia
