The security in-charge at the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister’s House in Peshawar has been removed, and 48 police personnel along with the security squad deployed at the residence have been withdrawn, according to sources cited by The Express Tribune.
The move follows the removal of security in-charge Arif Khattak. Personnel stationed at the Chief Minister’s House were ordered back in what sources described as a reshuffle of the security detail around the residence.
The development comes three days after the federal government imposed emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, a decision that stripped the PTI-led provincial administration of executive authority. Sohail Afridi, the PTI chief minister, has refused to accept the move, calling it unconstitutional.
A visible power shift
The withdrawal of police from the Chief Minister’s House is the most visible sign yet of the administrative transition under way in Peshawar. Since President Asif Ali Zardari approved the federal cabinet’s decision on October 11 to impose governor’s rule in K-P, the Centre has moved to assert control over the province’s security apparatus.
The imposition followed weeks of confrontation between the federal government and the PTI provincial government over counterterrorism cooperation. Federal ministers argued that the province’s attitude toward militancy had become a national security threat, a case Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar put before the National Assembly today while seeking parliamentary approval for the emergency under Article 232.
Centre tightens its grip
The security reshuffle fits a pattern of rapid administrative changes since the weekend. The federal cabinet’s decision, briefed to allies by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, transferred executive authority in the province to the governor, with the Centre citing the provincial government’s failure to cooperate on counterterrorism operations.
Tarar told the National Assembly on Wednesday that the emergency applied to all of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, not just the 12 districts initially discussed, and defended the step as a response to an extraordinary security situation. His address, covered earlier today, framed the province’s security posture as a threat to national security.
The changes at the Chief Minister’s House suggest the new administration is also reworking the personal security architecture around the former chief minister, a standard but politically charged step whenever power changes hands under contested circumstances.
PTI cries foul
The PTI has challenged the emergency and governor’s rule in the Peshawar High Court, arguing the move violates the Constitution. Party leaders say the real motive is political: to dismantle the PTI’s government in the one province it still controls.
Sohail Afridi led a long march toward Islamabad in the days before the emergency, a protest the Centre cited as evidence of the provincial government’s misplaced priorities amid a worsening militancy crisis.
Dialogue offer on the table
Amid the standoff, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari offered on Wednesday to approach the prime minister for ending the K-P emergency if the PTI agrees to political dialogue. The offer, made during the National Assembly session, opened a possible off-ramp — though the PTI has yet to respond.
Whether the security reshuffle at the Chief Minister’s House is a routine administrative step or a deliberate signal to the ousted administration, it underlines how completely the levers of power in Peshawar have shifted. With the governor now in charge and the Centre directing counterterrorism policy, the province’s political landscape has been redrawn in less than a week.
Frequently asked questions
Who was removed as security in-charge at the K-P CM House?
Arif Khattak was removed as the security in-charge at the Chief Minister’s House in Peshawar, according to sources cited by The Express Tribune.
How many personnel were withdrawn?
Forty-eight police personnel and the security squad deployed at the residence were ordered withdrawn.
Why is this happening now?
The reshuffle comes three days after emergency and governor’s rule were imposed in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on October 11, transferring executive authority from the PTI provincial government to the governor.
