Pakistan’s interior minister says there was no alternative to emergency rule — Dawn
In Pakistan, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said at a joint sitting of parliament that the federal authorities had no other option but to impose an emergency and governor’s rule in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to him, the government had tried to involve the provincial authorities in a joint fight against terrorism, Dawn reports.
The federal authorities introduced these measures on October 11, citing the provincial government’s “deliberate withdrawal” from counterterrorism efforts. The decision was preceded by weeks of political tension and negotiations between the center and the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, which was in power in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Naqvi called on the opposition to stick to the facts in its account of the negotiations with the authorities. He also acknowledged that the participants in the October 3 talks shared a common position on the need to combat terrorism in Pakistan’s interests.
Resolutions in parliament
Two resolutions were put before the joint sitting of parliament: one on proclaiming an emergency under Article 232 of the Constitution and another on governor’s rule under Article 234. The day before, both houses of parliament separately adopted resolutions supporting the imposition of an emergency in the province.
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National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq put to a vote a procedural motion allowing these resolutions to be considered. It was supported by 214 members of the joint sitting, while 56 voted against it. Opposition representatives came to parliament with placards against the emergency.
Under Article 232, a proclamation of emergency must be submitted for approval by both houses of parliament within 10 days. Governor’s rule imposed under Article 234 expires after two months unless the joint sitting approves its extension. Overall, this regime cannot last more than six months.
Opposition’s position
Acting PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan rejected accusations that the provincial government had supported terrorists. He said the prime minister should apologize to the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and to the party, and spoke out against the emergency.
Senator Kamran Murtaza of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl party said parliament had not been provided with documentary evidence of the need for governor’s rule. In his view, provincial Governor Faisal Karim Kundi should have submitted a relevant report for such a decision.
