The federal government has imposed a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa emergency and governor’s rule after the president approved a cabinet decision on Sunday, 11 October, effectively placing the provincial administration under the governor’s authority.
What the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Emergency Means
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the move was taken under constitutional provisions dealing with security, citing what it described as the provincial government’s deliberate disengagement from the fight against terrorism. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar briefed the media in Islamabad after the cabinet met under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Under the arrangement, the governor takes charge with the support of a newly formed advisory council. The council has already held its first meeting. The arrangement is initially set for six months.
Situation in Peshawar
Residents in Peshawar woke up to a mobile phone signal blackout on Sunday, and the internet also went down in the afternoon. Shipping containers were placed on GT Road at Firdous Chowk and on several other main roads, Bus Rapid Transit stations stayed shut and police were deployed at key points, while security was tightened around the Chief Minister House.
Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said he would not accept what he called an illegal move. PTI workers protested in parts of the province, and one demonstration ended in a scuffle when police arrived to disperse it.
Background
PTI had planned a march on Islamabad to press for the release of its founder Imran Khan, who has been in jail for more than three years. The march was first set for 27 September and then postponed to 4 October to allow talks with the government, which has said it will not let the march enter the capital.
Reports of a possible deployment of Punjab police personnel in the province have also surfaced, though the Inspector General of Punjab Police said no decision had been made. Further developments will depend on how the situation unfolds in the coming days.
