Pakistan declared on Sunday a state of emergency in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), with the President suspending the provincial government, his office said, stripping the elected administration of its powers.
The northwestern province is ruled by the party of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
An emergency allows Pakistan's federal government to assume key executive and legislative powers in a province during a security crisis or breakdown of constitutional governance.
Under the proclamation, the chief minister, provincial ministers, advisers, special assistants and advocate general will immediately vacate their offices.
The decision comes amid a growing confrontation between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's government and the PTI, which has been rallying for several days to pressure the government for Khan's release and has threatened to march on the capital Islamabad in coming days.
President Asif Ali Zardari signed Sharif's advice to declare a state of emergency following a federal cabinet decision, his office said in a statement.
The advice said the provincial government had failed to fight Islamist militancy, according to a statement from Sharif's office.
Major roads in Peshawar were sealed off with shipping containers on Sunday as army and police personnel stood guard in riot gear.
In a statement, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi said no one should take the law into their own hands and no one should engage in rioting or disorder.
Pakistan opposition parties and a lawyers' body on Sunday strongly condemned the imposition of emergency and governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, calling it a “grave political mistake” which the people will never accept.
The move comes amid an ongoing protest march led by KPK Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, who is pressing for jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's release and access to medical treatment for him.
The march began in Lakki Marwat on October 4 and has passed through several districts of the province.
PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Khan said, "We completely reject this action. The mandate of the people of the KP is their constitutional and legal right. Peace cannot be established nor stability brought by ignoring this mandate, weakening provincial autonomy and creating conflict between the federation and the province."
He said terrorism can only be combated through national unity and a joint strategy.
Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said: "When forces that come to power through the
Khan, the 73-year-old former cricketer-turned-politician, has been incarcerated at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi since 2023 and faces more than 100 cases, including corruption and charges related to inciting violence.
The long march followed the failure of two rounds of talks between Khan’s party and the federal government. The discussions broke down over the party's demand for access to Khan before calling off the protest, while the government insisted that the demonstration be ended first.
(With inputs from Reuters & PTI)