Sharif calls emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa necessary — Dawn
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the federal authorities were compelled to impose an emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to what he described as the provincial government’s lack of cooperation in the fight against terrorism. He said this on October 17 in Gujranwala, Dawn reports.
Federal authorities’ decision
The federal authorities imposed an emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on October 11. The authorities explained this by the provincial administration’s “deliberate withdrawal” from the fight against terrorism. Pakistan’s parliament approved these decisions this week, while the opposition protested against them.
Sharif said that before taking this step, the federal authorities had tried to reach an agreement with the opposition PTI party. According to him, government representatives and the Pakistan Peoples Party held talks with the opposition for 48 hours. The second round of talks on October 3 ended without result, although, as the prime minister claims, the sides prepared a draft agreement under which PTI was to cancel its march on Islamabad.
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Dispute with PTI
The prime minister said he had repeatedly met with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, whose powers are currently not in force, as well as with his predecessor Ali Amin Gandapur. He claims that he offered the provincial authorities support in countering terrorism and promised to coordinate with them issues of governance, resources, and the region’s needs.
The imposition of the emergency was preceded by several weeks of political tension between the federal authorities and PTI. The party announced its intention to hold a march on Islamabad, demanding the release of its imprisoned founder Imran Khan. Federal ministers also alleged links between the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and terrorist groups. PTI said it was being excluded from decisions on the province’s security; the federal centre denied this.
