SRINAGAR: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has declared a state of emergency in north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, suspending the powers of the provincial government led by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), amid security concerns and a worsening standoff with the federal government headed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, media reports said.
The move comes as PTI supporters continue their march towards Islamabad, demanding Khan’s release and access to medical treatment.
According to media reports, the presidential declaration invokes Articles 232(1) and 234(1) of Pakistan’s Constitution, citing an increase in terrorist attacks and alleged failures by the provincial administration to tackle militancy.
The order directs the chief minister, provincial ministers, advisers, special assistants and advocate general to relinquish their offices, effectively removing the elected administration from its executive functions.
The development follows the collapse of talks between the PTI and the federal government over the party’s planned demonstration in the national capital. Khan has remained in prison since 2023 in connection with corruption and other cases, which the PTI maintains are politically motivated.
The protest march, led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, began in Lakki Marwat on October 4 and has travelled through several districts. The PTI had planned to take the procession to Islamabad for a sit-in demanding Khan’s release.
Meanwhile, authorities have placed shipping containers and other roadblocks at entry points to Islamabad and at several other locations to restrict movement towards the capital.
