NA ratifies emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa amid opposition protest

The National Assembly on Wednesday ratified the presidential proclamation of emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under Article 232 of the Constitution, passing a government resolution by majority vote despite protests from opposition benches, Aaj News reported.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry moved the resolution after the House, chaired by Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, suspended question hour. The session was later adjourned until 11am on Friday.

Explaining the constitutional grounds for the move, Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar told the House that the decision was taken in view of rising terrorism, internal disorder and continued cross-border infiltration in the province.

He said the federal cabinet reviewed the situation in a two-and-a-half-hour meeting before recommending the imposition of emergency to the prime minister, after which the proclamation was issued under Article 232.

Citing official data, Tarar said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recorded 2,911 terrorism incidents between 2021 and 2024, while the number rose to 3,787 between October 15, 2025 and October 9, 2026.

The law minister said the federal and provincial governments should have worked jointly to tackle the security situation, but accused the provincial government of failing to do so. He criticised former chief minister Sohail Afridi for prioritising political activity, visits to other cities and statements about marching on Islamabad over maintaining law and order.

Tarar said the government had pursued dialogue rather than force until the end, with a team comprising Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Rana Sanaullah and Amir Muqam holding two days of talks with the opposition and other parties in the Speaker’s chamber on several drafts.

However, he claimed that during discussions on counterterrorism, the opposition remained focused on the release of, and facilities for, the jailed PTI founder, a matter he said rests legally with the courts or with the president under Article 45.

Referring to past negotiations, Tarar said that in 2023 a consensus had been reached on simultaneous elections and dissolution of assemblies, but the PTI leadership later rejected it, after which the May 9 events took place and political tensions escalated.

He said the Constitution requires parliamentary approval of an emergency within 10 days of its proclamation, and called on all political parties to stand with the security forces.

Senate, joint sitting next

As part of the government’s parliamentary strategy, the Senate has been summoned at 4pm on Wednesday, where a separate resolution seeking approval of the emergency will be tabled.

A joint sitting of Parliament has been called for 11:30am on Thursday, October 15, to formally ratify governor’s rule in the province under Article 234.

Coalition partners have assured the federal government of their full support. The Pakistan Peoples Party’s parliamentary committee met under Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to deliberate on the situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and sources said the party will vote in favour of the government’s resolution and support the passage of various bills.

Separately, an MQM-Pakistan delegation led by Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and pledged full backing on the issue.

The prime minister said the government had been compelled to take the difficult decision in the best interest of the province’s people and in light of security concerns, adding that its offers of dialogue had not drawn a positive response while civilians and security forces continued to be targeted.

Meanwhile, normalcy is gradually returning to Peshawar. Containers placed on roads after the imposition of governor’s rule have been removed, educational institutions have reopened, and traffic, including the Bus Rapid Transit service, is being restored, though security remains tight in sensitive areas, including the Red Zone.