By Asif Shahzad and Ariba Shahid
ISLAMABAD, Oct 11 (Reuters) – Pakistan’s president declared a state of emergency and suspended the provincial government of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday, following allegations by the federal government that it has failed to tackle Islamist militancy.
The constitution allows the federal government to take over some or all provincial government functions during an emergency.
A provincial governor will take charge with an advisory council, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar told a news conference in Islamabad, adding that the arrangement will initially be in place for six months.
The interior ministry said it would be deploying troops in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, which has suffered an increasing number of militant attacks in recent months.
“The situation is so grave that you wouldn’t see any residents coming out of their houses after evening in some of the districts,” said Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.
The federal government and the military have accused Khan’s party of failing to curb the militants, while Khan’s party has rejected the accusation and says the federal government has failed to provide it with the funding and equipment needed.
Islamabad accuses neighbouring Afghanistan of harboring Islamist militants who launch attacks inside Pakistan, and says that Khan’s party had been sympathizing with both the Taliban in Kabul and their affiliates at home.
Both the Afghan Taliban and Khan’s party have denied the accusation.
President Asif Ali Zardari declared an emergency on the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif following a federal cabinet decision, the president’s office said.
The security forces and citizens had been under attack for the last two years, Sharif told the Cabinet. “We can’t just act a silent spectator.”
`COUP DISGUISED AS EMERGENCY`
The move comes after Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party rallied for several days to pressure the government for his release, threatening to march on the capital Islamabad in coming days amid deepening political instability.
Khan’s supporters say the military rigged the 2024 election against the 74-year-old former cricket star, an allegation the military denies.
“This is more of a coup disguised as emergency,” said Zulfikar Bukhari, Khan’s aide and his party’s spokesperson, adding that it risks leading to further bloodshed and instability.
Ahead of the planned march, authorities detained three of Khan’s sisters and hundreds of party activists. Restrictions have been placed on the movements of Chief Minister, Sohail Afridi of Khan’s party, one of his close aides told Reuters.
The government has cut access to the capital, Islamabad, to bar the protesters from reaching parliament, blocking major highways with shipping containers and deploying tens of thousands of security forces, interior ministry officials said.
The party’s last large-scale protest two years ago ended in deadly clashes with security forces.
Khan’s 2023 arrest sparked nationwide riots that threatened the standing of the Pakistani military. Cases against Khan have ranged from concerns over state gifts to instigating violence and an accusation of an unlawful marriage.
All convictions but one have since been suspended or overturned, with appeals pending. He denies wrongdoing.
The latest protest coincides with public discontent over inflation and rising fuel prices that has spread beyond Khan’s core supporters.
(Reporting by Asif Shahzad and Ariba Shahid in Islamabad; Additional reporting by Mubasher Bukhari in Lahore; Editing by Jamie Freed and Elaine Hardcastle)
Comments