Pakistan has declared a state of emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, effectively suspending the provincial government run by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party. The government cites a failure to fight terrorism. Khan’s party calls it “a coup disguised as emergency”.
Authorities in Pakistan announced a state of emergency in the north-western province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday, October 11, Al Jazeera reported, citing Reuters.
The emergency was invoked under two articles of the constitution that deal with security. It effectively suspends the provincial government run by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the party of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
How It Was Approved
President Asif Ali Zardari said he had approved recommendations made by the cabinet, which met under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif earlier in the day.
A statement from Sharif’s office said ministers had reviewed the situation and noted the “provincial government’s deliberate disengagement from the fight against terrorism”.
Six Months Under the Governor
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar told a news conference in Islamabad that the provincial governor will take charge, with an advisory council. The arrangement will initially last six months.
The PTI Response
Shortly after the announcement, PTI lawmaker Junaid Akbar said Chief Minister Sohail Afridi had been arrested, together with the party’s president in the province. The report did not include confirmation of the arrests from the government.
PTI spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari called the move “more of a coup disguised as emergency” and warned it would cause “further bloodshed, instability and collateral damage”.
The March on Islamabad
The announcement came as the PTI prepared a march on the capital to demand Khan’s release. Khan has been in jail for more than three years but still commands widespread popularity.
- The march was first set for September 27
- It was postponed to October 4 to allow talks between the government and PTI leaders
- The government has said it will not allow the march to enter Islamabad, and has spent weeks preparing, including blocking main access roads with shipping containers
Why It Matters
The move replaces an elected provincial government with rule by an appointed governor, and it falls on the party at the centre of Pakistan’s main political standoff. The government says the province’s leaders disengaged from the fight against terrorism; the PTI says the move will bring instability and bloodshed.
Image: Imran Khan speaking at Chatham House in London, January 2010 (file photo). Photo: Chatham House / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
