Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari has suspended the elected provincial government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, led by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, (PTI) party, following the imposition of emergency rule. The decision was approved today, on the recommendation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s cabinet.
President Zardari invoked emergency provisions, citing a breakdown of constitutional machinery in the province. Under the emergency order, the provincial administration has been dissolved, and the governor, who represents the federal government, will assume its powers. The federal parliament will also exercise the powers of the provincial assembly. The chief minister, provincial ministers, advisers and other senior officials will cease to hold office.
The suspension of the provincial government marks a significant escalation in Pakistan’s ongoing political confrontation.
The moves comes amid ongoing protest march is being led towards Islamabad, by supporters of Imran Khan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, who is demanding the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and access to medical treatment for him. The march began in Lakki Marwat earlier this month and has passed through several districts of the province. Cricketer-turned-politician and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan, the 73-year-old former cricketer-turned-politician, has been lodged at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi since 2023 and faces several cases, including corruption and terrorism-related charges. He was removed from office in April 2022 following a parliamentary no-confidence vote. Khan alleged that the country’s powerful military orchestrated his ouster at the behest of the United States. He was succeeded by Shehbaz Sharif, whose party came to power following the 2024 general election. The election was widely criticised by Khan’s supporters, who alleged that the process was rigged against the PTI.
