Peshawar: A petition challenging the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was filed in the Peshawar High Court on Monday, less than 24 hours after the measures were introduced.
The petition was filed by Advocate Salman, naming President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi as respondents.
The petitioner argued that the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule in the province was "unconstitutional, illegal and motivated by mala fide intentions".
The petition also stated that the measures violated fundamental rights and undermined the democratic mandate of the people.
President Zardari proclaimed on Sunday under Articles 232(1) and 234(1) of the Constitution, citing rising terrorist attacks and a breakdown of constitutional machinery in the northwestern province, according to the presidential declaration.
Separately, several opposition leaders have also decided to challenge the imposition of governor’s rule and emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the court.
A meeting held in Islamabad on Monday was attended by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Mahmood Khan Achakzai and secretary general Barrister Salman Akram Raja.
The participants discussed the imposition of governor’s rule and emergency in the province and the situation that followed.
Meanwhile, police have taken former KPK chief minister Sohail Afridi and seven other leaders of PTI into protective custody.
The emergency was imposed as the PTI was holding a protest march led by Afridi, demanding the release of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan and access to medical treatment for him.
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.