Pakistan on Sunday announced that the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been put under emergency rule. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's federal government defended the move, saying the provincial administration — led by imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan's Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party — was working "hand in glove" with the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). "The PTI government in the province has not equipped the police and security forces to counter militancy.
Instead, they have links with TTP and did not cooperate with the federal government to fight terrorism," Talal Chaudhry, minister of state for interior affairs, told DW. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the government had "solid evidence" to support its allegations, the news agency reported. He said the suspension and imposition of a state of emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would allow security forces and the new administration to better coordinate efforts to combat terrorism.
The move comes as thousands of Khan supporters continue to stage anti-government protests and demand the former leader be released from jail. But the federal government has denied that its action was driven by domestic politics. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which has suffered an increasing number of militant attacks in recent months, is a political stronghold of former PM Khan.
The cricketer-turned-politician has been in jail since 2023 on corruption and other charges that he and his supporters say are politically motivated. His PTI party had long governed the volatile province, but Islamabad's decision to impose emergency rule has now effectively removed it from power. Pakistan's constitution allows the federal government to take over from provincial authorities during an emergency.
Islamabad said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would now be administered directly by a new governor, assisted by an advisory council. This arrangement will initially be in place for six months, but could be extended for as long as necessary, authorities said. Khan's party has lambasted the suspension of the provincial government.
"This is more a coup disguised as emergency and governor rule," said PTI spokesperson Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari. It has also sparked questions about provincial autonomy and the future of civilian rule, with critics warning that the abrupt removal of an elected administration risks weakening accountability and deepening political divisions. "Governor's rule should only be imposed in extreme constitutional crises, not political disputes, and its legality should be reviewed by the Constitutional Court," Osama Malik, a senior constitutional expert, told DW.
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