Pakistan president suspends Khan party-led provincial government

ISLAMABAD The Pakistani president on Sunday declared a state of emergency in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province bordering Afghanistan and suspended its government, which is led by imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party. It comes ahead of a planned march on Islamabad by supporters demanding his release.

President Asif Ali Zardari’s announcement came hours after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office said that the federal Cabinet had recommended emergency rule, accusing the provincial government of “deliberate disengagement from the fight against terrorism.”

The measures place the province under the authority of the governor, who represents the federal government.

Khan is Sharif’s main political rival and has been imprisoned since 2023 on corruption and other charges that he and his party say are politically motivated. Despite his imprisonment, he retains a substantial and passionate support base, keeping him at the center of Pakistan’s turbulent political landscape.

Naqvi said delays in decision-making and poor coordination between Islamabad and the provincial government had allowed militants to gain ground, prompting the decision to impose an emergency in the province. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said militant violence in the province had increased by 196% in recent years.

No protests were reported following the suspension of the provincial government. Police detained several supporters of Khan’s party overnight and authorities deployed additional police and security forces to prevent unrest.

Shipping containers placed by police along key routes in Islamabad since last month to block potential rallies have disrupted traffic and forced residents in the capital and neighboring Rawalpindi to take lengthy detours.

Khan’s spokesperson Zulfiquar Bukhari condemned the suspension of the provincial government, calling it a “disguised coup.” He said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was the only one with a genuine popular mandate following the February 2024 parliamentary elections, which Khan’s party says were rigged.

“Now that little bit of democracy is also gone,” Bukhari said in a statement.

Referring to recent talks between Khan’s party and the federal government, Bukhari accused officials of having no intention of reaching an agreement. He said government representatives had focused on counterterrorism, while Khan’s representatives had come to discuss the imprisoned leader’s basic rights.

Talks between Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, and the federal government last week on postponing the march failed.

The province’s chief minister, Sohail Afridi, on Saturday urged supporters to prepare to march on Islamabad. Afridi launched the protest campaign last week, leading marches through several districts in the province.

Sharif’s government has been urging Afridi since last month to postpone the march, citing a surge in attacks by the Pakistani Taliban in the northwest. It has also accused Khan’s party of sympathizing with the militant group, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.