Pakistan declares state of emergency and holds opposition leaders

Apakistani authorities today declared a state of emergency in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, northwest of the country, to contain a wave of protests, and arrested the leaders of the provincial government, both opposition.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari today signed a decree allowing the declaration of a state of emergency in Khyber Pashtunkhwa Province (KP) on the border with Afghanistan after approving a recommendation from the federal executive in view of the worsening security situation and the increase in terrorist activity in the region.

Zardari confirmed the measure in a statement released on social networks, in which he stated that the decision responds to the situation of public order in the northern province and is based on Articles 232 and 234 of the Pakistani Constitution.

Presidential approval culminates in a process initiated during an extraordinary meeting of the federal cabinet, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in which ministers examined the deterioration of security and the evolution of the fight against terrorism in the region.

According to the Prime Minister’s office, the Government examined “in detail” the growing public policy problems in the province, expressing concern over what it described as an apparent deliberate lack of involvement of regional authorities in counter-terrorism operations.

Meanwhile, the provincial delegation of the opposition party Pakistani Movement for Justice (PTI), by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, announced today on network X that the provincial president, Junaid Akbar, and the prime minister of the province, Muhammad Sohail Afridi, were arrested.

The PTI has led protests in the province to demand the release of Imran Khan, with militants travelling the country towards Islamabad.

After the national measure, the party president for the region, Shahid Khattak, called on the militants to change their course and immediately go to Peshawar: “Do not wait for any leader, go to Peshawar (...) The great march and protest will happen.”.

In the province of KP, marked by the conflict and violence of insurgent groups, the federal control measure was applied three times throughout history in 1975 and 1994.

Governor Faisal Kareem Kundi took over as chief executive of KP Province.

According to the Pakistani Constitution, the state of emergency and the governor's mandate may be imposed if the security of the country or part of its territory is threatened by war, external aggression or internal unrest that the provincial government cannot control.