Emergency, governor's rule imposed in KP as president approves cabinet decision

The federal government on Sunday imposed an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after President Asif Ali Zardari approved the federal cabinet’s recommendation.

The moves have been approved under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution, the President’s Office said.

What do Articles 232 and 234 govern?

Article 234 of Pakistan’s Constitution deals with the failure of constitutional machinery in a province, allowing the President to intervene when the provincial government cannot function in accordance with the Constitution.

Under this provision, the President may assume the functions of the provincial government or direct the governor to exercise executive powers on the President’s behalf, subject to constitutional conditions and parliamentary approval.

In contrast, Article 232 provides for the proclamation of a state of emergency when Pakistan’s security is threatened by war, external aggression or internal disturbance beyond the control of a provincial government.

It enables the federal government to take exceptional measures to address the emergency, including issuing directions to provinces, while Article 233 provides for the suspension of certain fundamental rights under specified conditions.

Emergency a grave political mistake: Barrister Gohar

PT Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has rejected the imposition of an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, describing it as a “grave political mistake” and an undemocratic step that would not be accepted by the people.

In a statement responding to the federal government’s decision, Gohar said the party strongly opposed the move, warning that any action undermining democratic principles and people’s rights would be unacceptable.

He said the people of KP had a constitutional and legal right to their electoral mandate, stressing that peace and stability could not be achieved by disregarding that mandate, undermining provincial autonomy or fuelling confrontation between the federal and provincial governments.

CM KP Afridi arrested

Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sohail Afridi and Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf’s (PTI) provincial head Junaid Akbar have been arrested, according to a post on X from Akbar’s official account.

Governor warns against violence, lawlessness

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi said on Sunday that the people of the province welcomed the presidential proclamation, stressing that they wanted peace, stability and prosperity instead of unrest and insecurity.

In a video message to the people of KP, Kundi said the province’s peace-loving residents rejected terrorism and violence.

Kundi said the people had decided not to support Fitna al-Khawarij and would stand alongside security forces in the fight against terrorists until their last breath.

He said the people aspired to a peaceful and prosperous future and wanted to promote brotherly relations and cooperation with other provinces.

Urging residents to maintain peace, Kundi called on them to avoid unlawful activities, incitement to violence and rioting.

He warned that action would be taken against those involved in disrupting law and order or taking the law into their own hands.

Emergency cabinet meeting

The development comes after the cabinet met in an emergency session chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, where it was briefed on the province’s security situation.

The cabinet accused the provincial government of deliberately stepping back from the fight against terrorism. Given how serious it judged the situation to be, the cabinet asked the prime minister to advise the president to use his constitutional powers.

Later, a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said advice had been sent to President Asif Ali Zardari to impose an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution.

The cabinet was briefed on the law and order situation in KP and the worsening threat of terrorism.

In view of the deteriorating security situation and what it described as the provincial government’s deliberate detachment from the war against terrorism, the cabinet recommended that the prime minister advise the president to exercise his constitutional powers to impose an emergency in the province.

The Prime Minister’s Office said the advice had been sent to the Presidency.

Cannot allow PTI to sabotage economic gains

Earlier, PM Shehbaz addressed the federal cabinet, saying the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government would not be allowed to undermine Pakistan’s economic stabilisation efforts amid tensions between the two sides.

“I will not allow them (PTI) to destabilise the economy,” he said during the meeting.

At the start of his address, the prime minister referred to the recent staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), expressing hope that Pakistan would receive the $1.2 billion tranche before the end of this year.

He also recalled his meeting with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) last month.

Shehbaz commended the country’s political and military leadership for working “together day and night” to ensure fiscal discipline.

The prime minister also recalled his visit to London last month, where he met senior executives of leading global financial institutions.