Pakistan imposes emergency and governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; PTI says leaders detained
Islamabad has suspended the province's PTI-led government, which is run by Imran Khan's party, citing its record on fighting militancy. The party has called the move a coup.
Pakistan has declared a state of emergency in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and placed it under governor's rule. The move sidelines the provincial government led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the party of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's cabinet recommended the step on Sunday and President Asif Ali Zardari approved it the same day. Reports say it was invoked under Articles 232 and 234 of Pakistan's Constitution. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar told reporters in Islamabad that the governor would run the province with the help of an advisory council, and that the arrangement would initially last six months.
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Government cites security
The federal government accused the provincial administration of deliberately stepping back from the fight against militancy. The province borders Afghanistan and has seen frequent attacks. Reports also point to months of friction between Islamabad and the provincial government over security policy and dealings with Afghanistan, and to talks between the two sides that broke down on October 3. A new chief secretary has been appointed to run the provincial administration under federal direction.
Confusion over chief minister's whereabouts
PTI leaders said Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, who had been leading a protest march towards Islamabad to demand Khan's release, was taken into custody soon after the order. They said the party's provincial president Junaid Akbar and other leaders were also held. Authorities had not officially confirmed the arrests as of Monday. Pakistan's daily Dawn quoted Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry as saying some people had been detained for law-and-order reasons.
PTI spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari called the decision "a coup disguised as emergency" and warned it could lead to more instability. Police were deployed in several districts and roads in Peshawar were blocked with containers. Mobile and internet services were reported to be slowed or suspended in parts of the province.
Why it matters
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is PTI's strongest base, and suspending its elected government deepens the stand-off between Imran Khan's party and the federal government and military leadership. For India, further instability in a province on the Afghan border is something New Delhi watches closely, because it bears on regional security.
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