Pakistan has imposed emergency rule in the north-western province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and suspended its provincial government, led by Sohail Afridi, an ally of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan. Several senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders, including the chief minister and members of his cabinet, have been taken into preventive custody.
President Asif Ali Zardari declared the state of emergency on Sunday after the federal government accused the provincial administration of failing to contain Islamist militancy in the province, which borders Afghanistan.
The PTI has rejected the government’s justification, alleging that the move is intended to prevent Khan’s supporters from marching to Islamabad and demanding his release.
The decision has intensified tensions between Khan, 74, and Pakistan’s powerful military establishment. It also comes amid renewed efforts by the former prime minister’s supporters to organise protests over his continued imprisonment and demand access to medical treatment.
The protests gained momentum a week earlier, when PTI supporters staged demonstrations across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ahead of a planned march to the national capital.
“Yes, I can confirm that the chief minister and some of his cabinet members have been taken into preventive custody,” government minister Talal Chaudhry told Reuters.
Chaudhry said the authorities would charge and prosecute those against whom cases had been registered, while others would be released. He added that the detentions took place on Sunday at the provincial chief minister’s residence in Peshawar, the provincial capital.
According to witnesses and officials, the chief minister’s residence and key facilities in the surrounding area were cordoned off, with a heavy deployment of police and paramilitary personnel. Shipping containers were also placed in the vicinity.
Shaukat Yousafzai, a senior PTI leader and aide to Imran Khan, condemned the detentions and demanded the immediate release of the detained politicians.
Khan’s three sisters and hundreds of his supporters were also detained ahead of the planned march, according to the report.
The latest developments follow a history of confrontations between the PTI and security forces. A large-scale protest by the party two years ago ended in deadly clashes, while Khan’s arrest in 2023 triggered nationwide unrest in which supporters attacked military installations.
Pakistan’s constitution allows the federal government to assume control of provincial administration under emergency provisions. Law minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said a provincial governor would take charge following the president’s declaration.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has witnessed a rise in militant attacks in recent months. The federal government and the military have accused the PTI-led provincial administration of failing to curb the violence, allegations the party has denied.
The federal government and the PTI had held several rounds of talks since the proposed march was announced last month. Tarar said the government had been willing to accommodate the party’s demands, including allowing the march to proceed.
However, he said the government had asked the PTI to publicly condemn militancy and cooperate with the authorities in combating militant groups.
“They did not agree, and that is why the talks broke down,” Tarar said.
The suspension of the provincial government and detention of senior PTI figures mark a further escalation in the political standoff between Khan’s party and Pakistan’s federal authorities.
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