Pakistan's president has suspended the government of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and declared a state of emergency following advice from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The federal government justified the move by claiming the provincial administration, led by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party, failed to adequately fight regional militancy. Consequently, Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and other key party officials were arrested amid rising political tensions and ongoing protests. This high-stakes political development coincides with thousands of PTI supporters marching toward Islamabad to demand Khan's immediate release. While the ruling administration accused the opposition party of sympathizing with militant groups, PTI representatives strongly rejected these allegations as a baseless smear campaign designed to cause instability.

Pakistan's president has suspended the government of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and declared a state of emergency following advice from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The federal government justified the move by claiming the provincial administration, led by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party, failed to adequately fight regional militancy. Consequently, Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and other key party officials were arrested amid rising political tensions and ongoing protests. This high-stakes political development coincides with thousands of PTI supporters marching toward Islamabad to demand Khan's immediate release. While the ruling administration accused the opposition party of sympathizing with militant groups, PTI representatives strongly rejected these allegations as a baseless smear campaign designed to cause instability.

Pakistan's president has suspended the government of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and declared a state of emergency following advice from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The federal government justified the move by claiming the provincial administration, led by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party, failed to adequately fight regional militancy. Consequently, Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and other key party officials were arrested amid rising political tensions and ongoing protests. This high-stakes political development coincides with thousands of PTI supporters marching toward Islamabad to demand Khan's immediate release. While the ruling administration accused the opposition party of sympathizing with militant groups, PTI representatives strongly rejected these allegations as a baseless smear campaign designed to cause instability.

Pakistan’s president Asif Ali Zardari has suspended the government of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, ruled by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party. A state of emergency was declared in the province, his office said amid escalating political tensions.

The President signed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's advice to declare an emergency after a federal cabinet decision. The advice said that the provincial government failed to fight militancy in the region.
A statement by Sharif’s office said that the cabinet member reviewed the situation and took note of the “provincial government’s deliberate disengagement from the fight against terrorism”.

Sohail Afridi, the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who is from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI, the party of the jailed former PM, was also arrested after the emergency was declared, a lawmaker said.

The province’s party president was also arrested, according to PTI leader Junaid Akbar.

The move comes as thousands of supporters of the PTI march towards Islamabad from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to demand his release. Khan was jailed in 2023 after being ousted from office in April 2022 after a no-confidence vote. The march was originally scheduled for September 27 but was postponed to October 4.

The state of emergency grants the federal government sweeping powers. The move was justified under constitutional articles that allow the central government to confront security threats. The president's office has not, however, specified how the province would be administered.

The ruling government also accused Khan’s party of sympathising with the Tehrik-e-Taliban, a militant terror group. The Party has rejected the accusation as a baseless smear campaign.

PTI spokesman Zulfikar Bukhari said the decision to invoke the state of emergency would only lead to “further bloodshed, ‌instability and collateral damage”, Reuters reported.

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