Pakistan’s federal government announced on Sunday the imposition of a state of emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a province in the country’s northeast governed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, and its placement under the rule of the province’s governor, who is affiliated with the federal government, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.
The statement explained that the Cabinet had reviewed the security situation in the province and submitted the findings of its review to the prime minister, who made the decision pursuant to Articles 232 and 234 of the Pakistani Constitution.
The announcement came after President “Asif Ali Zardari” approved the decision, based on the Cabinet’s recommendations.
The Prime Minister’s Office stated that Cabinet members had taken into account what they described as the “deliberate withdrawal of the provincial government from counterterrorism efforts.” Given the seriousness of the situation, they proposed that the prime minister advise the president to exercise his constitutional powers to impose a state of emergency in the province under the aforementioned articles.
These developments come amid a severe crisis between the federal government and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, and the failure of negotiations between them, after the party refused to sign an addendum to a memorandum of understanding reached by the two sides following several days of negotiations.
The addendum includes principles for combating terrorism in the province, as well as defining the responsibilities of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, following a wave of terrorist attacks and bombings targeting police centers and checkpoints, which resulted in dozens of deaths among security personnel and civilians.
A few days earlier, the “Sharif” government and Federal Interior Minister “Mohsin Naqvi” had blamed the shortcomings of the PTI-led provincial government for playing a major role in these attacks.
United News Network – UNN Arabic
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Author: Counselor Faisal Al-Mutairi.
Publication Date: October 11, 2026.
Updated: October 2026.
