Pakistan’s president has declared a state of emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and suspended the provincial government led by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s party, deepening a confrontation with the federal authorities.
President Asif Ali Zardari acted on the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif after a cabinet decision. A governor will now take charge of the province, which borders Afghanistan and has faced a rising number of militant attacks in recent months.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said the governor would initially serve for six months, although the arrangement could continue for as long as necessary. The interior ministry said troops would be deployed in the province.
The federal government and military have accused Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of failing to tackle Islamist militants. PTI rejects the allegation, saying Islamabad has not supplied the funding and equipment required to deal with the threat.
Mr Sharif told the cabinet that security forces and civilians had been attacked for two years. “We can’t just act as a silent spectator,” he said.
PTI condemns emergency declaration
The move comes a week after PTI supporters gathered in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with plans to march on the capital, Islamabad, demanding Khan’s release. Hundreds of activists and three of Khan’s sisters have been detained ahead of the planned protest.
Zulfikar Bukhari, a close aide to Khan and PTI spokesman, described the emergency as “more of a coup disguised as emergency”. He said it risked further bloodshed and instability and was intended to prevent the demonstration.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman, leader of the JUI-F party and a government-appointed mediator in talks with PTI, also criticised the decision. “Imposition of emergency is an ambush on democracy,” he told a news conference in Islamabad.
Restrictions have been placed on the movements of Sohail Afridi, who had previously led the province, according to one of his close aides.
The government has stationed tens of thousands of security personnel in Islamabad and positioned shipping containers along roads in preparation for attempts to block protesters from reaching parliament.
The crisis has brought renewed focus to the wider dispute between PTI and Pakistan’s military, which denies accusations that it dominates politics. The government has expanded the military’s powers, while PTI supporters say the armed forces influenced the 2024 election against Khan.
Candidates backed by Khan’s party won the most seats in that election but formed a government only in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Khan, a 74-year-old former cricket star, remains in prison and denies wrongdoing in the cases brought against him, which include allegations involving state gifts, inciting violence and an unlawful marriage. All but one of his convictions have been suspended or overturned, with appeals pending.
Islamabad has also accused Afghanistan of harbouring militants responsible for attacks inside Pakistan, and says PTI has sympathised with the Taliban in Kabul and its domestic affiliates.
