Emergency, governor's rule imposed in KP as president approves cabinet decision

Emergency, governor's rule imposed in KP as president approves cabinet decision.

Key points

• Syed Irfan RazaNews Desk Published October 11, 2026 Updated October 12, 2026 12: 04am.
• The measures have been approved under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution, the President House remarked in an official note.
• The arrest of Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and Junaid Akbar has exposed the political nature of the federal government's actions.
• After Afridi became the KP CM, the provincial assembly convened a grand jirga with Governor Faisal Karim Kundi and other parties in attendance, regarding a year afterwards.
• Article 233, which provides powers to the president to suspend certain fundamental rights during the emergency period, was not mentioned in the summary signed by President Zardari.

Syed Irfan RazaNews Desk Published October 11, 2026 Updated October 12, 2026 12: 04am. Join our Whatsapp Channel.

ISLAMABAD: The federal administration on Sunday imposed an emergency and governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after the president's approval of the recommendations by the federal cabinet.

In practice, the measures have been approved under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution, the President House remarked in an official note. The two provisions pertain to the proclamation of emergency and governor's rule.

After the imposition, internet disruptions were being noted from parts of Peshawar, with Dawn unable to contact its correspondents there.

As sources indicate in the telecom sector, mobile network and data services have been slowed or shut down in selected areas of some cities. Nevertheless, there is no province-wide shutdown of mobile data or internet.

Internet watchdog NetBlocks remarked network data demonstrated a major disruption to internet connectivity in parts of KP as emergency was imposed.

In practice, the federal administration additionally authorised the deployment of Pakistan Army troops and assets in aid of civil power in KP. On the ground, shipping containers were placed around the city of Peshawar to block a number of roads, with heavy police deployment.

Meanwhile, the decision to impose the emergency provisions came during an emergency session of the federal cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, where he was briefed on the security situation in KP.

Notably, a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) remarked cabinet members reviewed the situation and took note of the "provincial government's deliberate disengagement from the fight against terrorism".

In practice, the members proposed, given the "gravity" of the situation, that the PM advise the president to exercise "his constitutional authority and impose an emergency in the province under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution".

Meanwhile, the emergency imposition comes a day after PM Shehbaz met President Zardari and discussed the country's overall security situation.

That session came against the backdrop of heightened tensions between the PML-N-led federal administration and the KP administration led by the PTI – which is in opposition in the Centre. They have been at odds over various problems, particularly on the counterterrorism policy. It was one of the main reasons behind the breakdown of their Oct 3 negotiations.

In practice, the PTI has remarked it was being left out of security decisions concerning KP. It the Centre has denied. It additionally calls for reviewing the counterterrorism policy and opposes military operations.

By contrast, the Centre has been criticising the KP government's efforts to combat terrorism in the province and objects to its stance on dialogue with the Afghan Taliban.

When Afridi's predecessor Ali Amin Gandapur was the chief minister, the KP Assembly passed a resolution urging the federal administration to consult with it and the provincial administration before launching a new military operation, it may be recalled that in July 2024.

Meanwhile, the resolution, passed by a majority vote, cautioned that proceeding without provincial consent could hinder the offensive's success and result in adverse consequences, for which the federal administration would be responsible.

In December that year, the assembly voted unanimously against a potential military operation in parts of Khyber and Bannu districts.

After Afridi became the KP CM, the provincial assembly convened a grand jirga with Governor Faisal Karim Kundi and other parties in attendance, regarding a year afterwards. The moot unanimously demanded that the Centre prioritise negotiations with Afghanistan and consult the KP administration over Afghan policy.

Article 232 of the Constitution provides for the proclamation of emergency in a province.

It notes, "If the president is satisfied that a grave emergency exists in which the security of Pakistan, or any part thereof, is threatened by war or external aggression, or by internal disturbance beyond the power of a provincial government to control, he may issue a Proclamation of Emergency."

Nevertheless, invoking this article "due to internal disturbances beyond the powers of a provincial government to control" requires a resolution from the provincial assembly of that province.

In case the president "acts on his own" – which is not at present the case – the Proclamation of Emergency is to be placed before both houses of Parliament for approval by each house within 10 days.

According to this provision, parliament "shall have power to make laws for a province, or any part thereof, with respect to any matter not enumerated in the Federal Legislative List" during the time of the proclamation of an emergency.

Nothing in this Article shall restrict the power of a provincial assembly to create any law which the Constitution empowers it to produce, but if any provision of a provincial law is repugnant to any provision of an Act by Parliament, the latter would prevail and the provincial law would be void as long as the parliamentary Act is in effect.

By contrast, Article 234 deals with the imposition of the governor's rule "in case of failure of constitutional machinery in a province". For imposition of the governor's rule, the president simply requires a request from the provincial governor, it notes.

"A proclamation issued under this Article shall be laid before a joint sitting and shall cease to be in force at the expiration of two months, unless before the expiration of that period it has been approved by resolution of the joint sitting and may by like resolution be extended for a further period not exceeding two months at a time, " the Constitution reads.

Nevertheless, it adds that no such proclamation shall in any case remain in force for more than six months.

Article 233, which provides powers to the president to suspend certain fundamental rights during the emergency period, was not mentioned in the summary signed by President Zardari. Where is Sohail Afridi?

For context, a couple of hours after the imposition of emergency was confirmed, KP Information Minister Shafi Jan. This person had been accompanying now dysfunctional KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on the PTI's long march, maintained that the he had been taken into custody.

Dawn contacted police for a confirmation shortly after Jan's claim, but there was no response.

As well as MNA Junaid Akbar and others from there party, meanwhile, MNA Shahid Khattak additionally maintained Afridi's "arrest". He additionally stated he would be leading the march now.

Afterwards, the PTI issued a statement, condemning the "arrest" of Afridi and other and describing it as an act of "political victimisation and an attempt to weaken the province's elected leadership and democratic institutions".

It quoted PTI spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram as saying that Afridi's "arrest" could not be viewed in isolation from the federal government's decision to impose emergency and governor's rule.

The developments reflect a broader effort to bypass elected institutions and undermine the constitutional authority of the province.

"The arrest of Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and Junaid Akbar has exposed the political nature of the federal government's actions. These measures are not directed at addressing security challenges; they are intended to weaken PTI, undermine the elected administration of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and disregard the democratic will of its residents, " he noted.

Akram demanded the "immediate and unconditional release" Afridi, Akbar and "all other political detainees arrested in connection with the ongoing action against PTI". He additionally demanded that the federal administration publicly disclose the "legal grounds, specific charges and procedural basis for the arrests of the chief minister and the PTI provincial president".

Nevertheless, he sounded less certain while speaking on Geo News programme ' Naya Pakistan '. He remarked they had received reports of Afridi and Akbar's arrest, and adding that they were unable to confirm whether Jan and Khattak, too, had been taken into custody.

"We are unable to contact some individuals As the internet has been suspended in a number of areas, we are unable to contact. You do not know the havoc they have created in KP. Individuals are escaping and going into hiding, " he stated.

In a clip shared on PTI's official X account, Salman Akram Raja, the party's secretary general, remarked, "We do not know where Sohail Afridi is, in what condition he has been kept. Junaid Akbar is additionally missing."

For now, emergency, governor' s rule imposed in KP as president approves cabinet decision remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.