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Pakistan declared a state of emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday, 11 October, effectively suspending the provincial government led by Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, Al Jazeera reported.
President Asif Ali Zardari approved the order after a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. It was invoked under Articles 232 and 234 of the constitution, which give the federal government broad administrative powers in the province, according to Arab News Pakistan. The prime minister's office cited the provincial government's disengagement from the fight against terrorism.
PTI lawmaker Junaid Akbar said Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was arrested along with the party's provincial president. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said the governor will take charge with an advisory council, initially for six months. Governor Faisal Karim Kundi warned of strict legal action against anyone who disrupts law and order.
PTI spokesperson Bukhari called the move "more of a coup disguised as emergency."
The emergency comes as PTI supporters march toward Islamabad to demand Khan's release. Khan has been jailed since August 2023 and remains widely popular. The march was first set for 27 September, then postponed to 4 October to allow talks with the government. Those talks broke down on 4 October, and supporters began demonstrating. Their demands include access to Khan by his doctors.
The government has said it will not let the march reach the capital. Al Jazeera reported that main access routes have been blocked with shipping containers. Arab News Pakistan said thousands of supporters were marching.
Both reports point to a rise in militancy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and disagreement between the federal and provincial governments over counterterrorism policy. Neither gives figures or details of specific attacks. Neither reported casualties from the emergency or the march at the time of publication.
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