PESHAWAR: PTI lawmaker Shahid Khattak claimed that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi had been arrested.
The President Asif Ali Zardari has approved the imposition of an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on the prime minister’s advice, citing worsening security conditions and rising terrorism, while Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has strongly condemned the decision as an undemocratic move.
According to a statement issued by the Presidency on Sunday, President Zardari signed the summary following a recommendation from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The decision was taken under Articles 232 and 234 of Pakistan’s Constitution.
Federal Government Cites Deteriorating Security Situation
The Prime Minister’s Office said the federal cabinet had reviewed the province’s worsening law and order situation and the growing threat of terrorism. The cabinet reportedly considered the provincial government’s alleged lack of cooperation in counterterrorism efforts and recommended that the prime minister advise the president to exercise his constitutional powers.
The summary was forwarded to the Presidency after the cabinet’s deliberations, reports from relevant institutions and unsuccessful attempts to resolve differences through negotiations with political representatives.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said the federal government had made every possible effort to avoid imposing an emergency in the province, but those attempts had failed.
He said negotiations with PTI leadership had not produced the desired results, leaving the government with limited options.
Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Senator Rana Sanaullah also described the situation as approaching a dead end. He said the government had offered negotiations twice and formed a committee, but no breakthrough had been achieved.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan strongly rejected the emergency proclamation, describing it as a serious political mistake and an undemocratic action.
He argued that the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had a constitutional and legal right to their electoral mandate. According to him, undermining provincial autonomy and increasing confrontation between the federal and provincial governments would not establish peace or stability.
Separately, PTI lawmaker Shahid Khattak stated on social media that Chief Minister Sohail Afridi had been arrested. The reported arrest was presented as his claim, and independent confirmation was not included in the supplied report.
Political Parties Express Divided Positions
Awami National Party President Aimal Wali Khan opposed the imposition of an emergency or governor’s rule but blamed the PTI-led provincial government for what he described as poor governance and its failure to maintain law and order.
Former chief minister Pervez Khattak said emergency measures were undesirable in a democratic system, although he acknowledged that governments might consider extraordinary steps if circumstances became uncontrollable.
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Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi had previously indicated that the federal cabinet would consider the possibility of an emergency, governor’s rule or both.
