Imran Khan’s party decries ‘coup’ after Pakistan suspends provincial government

Pakistan has declared a state of emergency in a province led by Imran Khan’s PTI party and suspended its government, a move a party spokesperson described as “more of a coup disguised as emergency”.

President Asif Ali Zardari declared the emergency in the north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday, after the federal government said authorities there had failed to tackle Islamist militancy in the province bordering Afghanistan.

The state of emergency and imposition of a new governor in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa sharply escalates a standoff between Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and the government, and comes a week after PTI supporters gathered in the province intending to march on Islamabad to demand Khan’s release.

Hundreds of activists and three of Khan’s sisters were detained before the planned march, in what the PTI called one of the strongest crackdowns in years.

Khan’s aide and PTI spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari called the government’s move “more of a coup disguised as emergency,” adding that it risked inciting more bloodshed and instability and was intended to stop the protest.

Pakistan’s constitution allows the government to take over from provincial authorities during an emergency, and the law minister, Azam Nazeer Tarar, said a provincial governor would take charge in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which has suffered an increasing number of militant attacks in recent months.

Tarar told a news conference in Islamabad that the governor will initially be in place for six months, but could stay for as long as needed. The interior ministry said it would be deploying troops in the province.

The federal government and the military accuse PTI of failing to curb militants. The party rejects the charge and says Islamabad has not provided the funding and equipment it needs.

Restrictions have been placed on the movements of Sohail Afridi, who had previously been in charge of the province, one of his close aides told Reuters.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman, leader of the JUI-F political party and engaged by the government to mediate with PTI, also condemned the move. “Imposition of emergency is an ambush on democracy,” he told a news conference in Islamabad.

In Islamabad, the government has deployed tens of thousands of security forces and lined roads with containers ready to block roads, to bar protesters from reaching parliament.

Candidates backed by Khan’s party won the most seats in the 2024 election but formed a government only in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Supporters of the 74-year-old former cricket star say the military rigged the vote against him, which the military denies.

Cases against Khan range from concerns over state gifts to instigating violence and an accusation of an unlawful marriage. All but one conviction have been suspended or overturned, with appeals pending. He denies wrongdoing.

President Zardari declared the emergency on the advice of the prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, after a cabinet decision, the president’s office said.

Sharif told the cabinet that security forces and citizens had been under attack for two years. “We can’t just act as a silent spectator.”

Islamabad also accuses Afghanistan of harboring militants who launch attacks inside Pakistan, and says PTI has sympathised with the Taliban in Kabul and its domestic affiliates. Both deny the charge.