Pakistan has imposed emergency rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and suspended the elected provincial government controlled by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party, triggering fresh constitutional and political tensions in the nuclear-armed state.
Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari has declared a state of emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, suspending the provincial government controlled by Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.
The action followed advice from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif after the federal cabinet accused provincial authorities of failing to contain escalating Islamist militancy.
Under the emergency arrangement, the provincial governor will administer the region with an advisory council for an initial six months.
Pakistan’s Interior Ministry also said troops would be deployed in affected parts of the northwestern province.
PTI rejects the federal government’s allegations and says it was not given adequate resources to confront militancy.
An aide to Khan described the intervention as a “coup disguised as emergency.”
The move comes as Khan’s supporters threaten renewed demonstrations demanding his release, while authorities have detained party activists and restricted access to Islamabad.
Pakistan’s Constitution permits federal intervention in provincial functions during an emergency, but the political and proportionality questions surrounding the measure are likely to remain fiercely contested. Reuters
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