PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN / RankWire.AI / – Pakistan has imposed emergency measures and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after President Asif Ali Zardari approved federal recommendations on Sunday. The decision removes the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led provincial administration from control of government functions. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired the federal cabinet meeting that recommended the action. The government cited the security situation and disagreements over counterterrorism coordination. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa borders Afghanistan and has faced repeated militant attacks.
The measures rely on Articles 232 and 234 of Pakistan’s Constitution. Article 232 covers emergency powers tied to serious threats to national or regional security. Article 234 allows federal intervention when a provincial government cannot function in accordance with the Constitution. Under governor’s rule, provincial executive authority shifts to the governor under the constitutional arrangement. Parliament can also exercise powers normally held by the provincial assembly. The courts remain outside those transferred powers.
Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has taken charge of the province with support from an 11-member advisory council. The council held its first meeting after the emergency measures took effect. Members received portfolios covering home affairs, law, finance, industry, health and education. The federal government also appointed Dr Muhammad Fakhr Alam as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s chief secretary. Kundi urged residents to follow the law and avoid violence or rioting during the political transition.
Army deployment authorized under Article 245
Pakistan’s federal government also authorized army troops and military assets to support civilian authorities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The Interior Ministry issued the order under Article 245 of the Constitution. The deployment covers protection of lives, property and government installations during the emergency period. Kundi will determine troop and asset requirements in consultation with the Military Operations Directorate at General Headquarters. Police and other security personnel have also increased their presence around key government sites in Peshawar.
The emergency follows months of tension between the federal government and PTI over security policy and political demands. Talks between the two sides broke down in early October. PTI supporters then continued a protest march that sought the release of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan. Khan has remained in prison since August 2023 and faces multiple criminal cases. PTI rejects the cases against him and has condemned the federal intervention.
PTI rejects federal intervention in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
PTI leaders condemned the emergency and governor’s rule, arguing that the measures undermine the province’s elected mandate. Party chairman Gohar Ali Khan said weakening provincial autonomy would not establish peace. Senior PTI figure Zulfiqar Bukhari also criticized the removal of the provincial administration. Before the decision, then-Chief Minister Sohail Afridi had publicly opposed any emergency or governor’s rule. PTI has also disputed federal criticism of its counterterrorism approach and says it lacked adequate involvement in security decisions.
The federal government says the action followed cabinet approval, the prime minister’s advice and reports concerning law and order. President Zardari signed the recommendation after the cabinet meeting chaired by Sharif. Authorities have linked the intervention to security concerns and the breakdown of negotiations with PTI. The army authorization remains tied to the emergency and governor’s rule proclamation. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will meanwhile operate under Governor Kundi and the advisory council established to manage provincial affairs.