ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari approved governor’s rule and a state of emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Sunday after receiving advice from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Radio Pakistan confirmed that Zardari signed the advice under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution. The federal cabinet had approved the measures at a meeting chaired by Sharif earlier in the day.
Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry left for the President’s House carrying the advice. Sources said the cabinet’s deliberations focused on the province’s deteriorating security situation.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan rejected the emergency and urged the federal government to reconsider it. He argued that weakening provincial autonomy could not establish peace. The PTI chairman maintained that fighting terrorism could not justify suppressing public voices.
He described the province’s electoral mandate as a constitutional and legal right that authorities must respect.
Before the decision, Naqvi said there was “no room left” to avoid emergency measures or governor’s rule. He maintained that he had exhausted efforts to prevent the step. Naqvi pointed to the PTI chairman as someone who could explain those efforts.
Read: Centre And PPP Agree On KP Governor’s Rule, Sources Say
The same sources said Sharif and Naqvi tried to secure support from Awami National Party (ANP) chief Senator Aimal Wali Khan. They said Khan declined to back either measure and favoured allowing the PTI-led provincial government to complete its constitutional term.
Those sources said Naqvi offered to appoint former chief minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti as governor.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) spokesperson Aslam Ghauri opposed both measures during an appearance on the television programme “Sawal Yeh Hai”. He described them as undesirable and dangerous.
Ghauri maintained that a government delegation had assured JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman that neither measure would be imposed. He questioned the purpose of talks if the federal government intended to proceed with those options.
Sources described contacts between KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi and the President House over possible decisions concerning the province. Kundi travelled to Islamabad and returned to Peshawar after his engagements, according to those sources.
During the cabinet deliberations, sources described a separate proposal to place unrest-affected districts under direct federal control. Areas discussed included Lakki Marwat, Karak and Kohat, alongside districts in the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
That proposal envisaged a separate secretariat, an administrator and dedicated funding. Another option discussed was delegating chief executive powers to Kundi.
