The federal government and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have agreed on an emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
Pakistan’s local news channel ARY News reported that unnamed sources said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi said on Saturday that no emergency had been formally announced. He left the choice of constitutional provision to the federal government.
Sources described a plan to invoke Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution. They linked the proposed emergency to terrorism, external aggression and unrest.
Their account cited alleged failures to run the provincial government in accordance with the Constitution as grounds for the second measure. Under the proposal, the president would transfer administrative powers to the governor on the federal government’s recommendation.
Speaking on “The Reporter” programme, Kundi explained that authorities could impose either measure or introduce both together. He suggested applying an emergency in one area and governor’s rule in another.
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Kundi planned to send the prime minister a report on the province’s law-and-order situation. He pledged to submit it whenever the president or prime minister requested it.
He described a process in which the prime minister sends the president a summary after receiving the report. Kundi explained that federal cabinet recommendations would guide decisions.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Gohar Ali Khan had opposed both options on September 30. He said they could worsen conditions in the province and undermine the National Action Plan.
“Undemocratic forces will take advantage,” Khan warned.
