Pakistan imposes emergency rule in province governed by Imran Khan’s party
PM’s office says cabinet move follows ‘provincial government’s deliberate disengagement from the fight against terrorism’.
Authorities in Pakistan have announced a state of emergency in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The state of emergency was invoked on Sunday under two articles of the constitution dealing with security. It effectively suspends the provincial government run by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the party of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
President Asif Ali Zardari said in a social media post he had approved the recommendations made by the cabinet, which had held a meeting under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif earlier in the day.
A statement issued by Sharif’s office said cabinet members reviewed the situation and took note of the “provincial government’s deliberate disengagement from the fight against terrorism”.
Shortly after the announcement, PTI lawmaker Junaid Akbar said Sohail Afridi, the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was arrested along with the party’s president in the province.
Six-month duration
The provincial governor will take charge with an advisory council, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar told a news conference in Islamabad, adding that the arrangement will initially be in place for six months.
PTI spokesperson and Khan aide, Zulfikar Bukhari described the government’s move as “more of a coup disguised as emergency” and warned it would cause “further bloodshed, instability and collateral damage”.
The move comes as the PTI has been preparing for a march on the capital, Islamabad, to demand the release of Khan, who has been in jail for more than three years but still commands widespread popularity across the country.
The march was originally scheduled for September 27 but was postponed until October 4 to allow talks between the government and the PTI leadership to take place.
The government, however, said it would not allow the march to enter the capital and has been preparing for weeks to prevent the arrival of PTI demonstrators in Islamabad. It has erected barriers using shipping containers to block main access routes to the capital.
