The federal government has imposed a KP emergency under Article 232 of the Constitution, and President Asif Zardari has added governor’s rule under Article 234 on the prime minister’s advice, according to reports. Both measures took effect in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday, 11 October.
What the KP Emergency Changes
Governor’s rule cannot last more than six months and can shift lawmaking powers to Islamabad. The emergency has no fixed time limit in the text, but it needs parliamentary approval. Reports say that the PTI-led provincial government of Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has been displaced rather than dismissed, so it would resume once governor’s rule ends.
The trigger was Afridi’s call for street protests over access to jailed PTI founder Imran Khan. The centre points to rising militancy, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described the decision as “now or never”. JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who had tried to mediate between the two sides, blamed the centre for backing away from its commitments.
Legal Questions Over the Emergency
Under the Eighteenth Amendment, an internal emergency needs a resolution from the provincial assembly. Without one, each house of parliament must approve it within 10 days. KP did not consent, so the National Assembly and Senate sessions called for 13 October will be the first test. A legal explainer notes that a 1994 Supreme Court ruling held a chief minister cannot be dismissed under Article 234, and argues the protests do not meet the thresholds for either measure.
Peshawar Under Restrictions
Shipping containers blocked GT Road at Firdous Chowk and University Road at Tehkal, BRT stations stayed shut, and mobile signals were absent on Sunday morning before internet service dropped in the afternoon. In Swabi, police raided several areas and stopped Afridi’s planned address to PTI workers, while PTI supporters protested the imposition of governor’s rule. Lawyers in Karachi announced a “black day” against the emergency.
For the build-up, see our earlier report on Parliament’s 13 October session and the PTI long march.
