Pakistan federal government imposes emergency rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over security deadlock

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif affirmed that the federal centre was compelled to declare emergency and impose governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to the provincial government’s lack of cooperation in fighting terrorism. The emergency, announced on Oct 11 and ratified by Parliament amid opposition protests, follows a series of failed negotiations with the PTI, including a 48-hour round of talks on Oct 3 that produced no agreement.

Sharif highlighted his multiple meetings with KP chief minister Sohail Afridi and former chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur, stressing the province’s strategic importance and promising federal support. He also visited Gujranwala to offer condolences to Rashid Bashir Virk after his father, former MNA Mahmood Bashir Virk, died. The federal government accused the PTI-led provincial administration of a nexus with terrorist groups, while the PTI claimed exclusion from security decisions and demanded a review of counter-terrorism policy.