ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai warned on Wednesday that governor's rule could next be imposed in Sindh, telling the House that the Centre was moving to take over the province's "water, mines and streams". Dawn reported his remarks from the floor of the lower house: https://www.dawn.com/news/2037156/achakzai-sees-next-governors-rule-in-sindh-over-water-mines
Achakzai urged the federal government to give the provinces their rights and resources, warning that the logic used to justify the weekend's move in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa could now be turned on another province.
Warning delivered during the KP vote
The opposition leader spoke during the vote on a resolution endorsing the governor's rule imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday. The federal government has said the provincial government "deliberately disengaged" from the counterterrorism fight — the stated reason the Centre has given for the step: https://featurepakistan.com/sanaullah-governors-rule-counterterrorism-kp/
Achakzai rejected that framing. He said the province's "mistake is that it saved itself with the help of its people", and drew a comparison with the situation at the creation of Bangladesh — a pointed reference to the consequences of the Centre overriding a province.
He also turned on the government's treatment of the PTI before the 2024 general elections, when the party was deprived of its election symbol. Its workers contested on 200 different symbols, he said, and still "turned your own game around on you". Then he put the question to the treasury benches directly: "You are punishing 240 million people of Pakistan for that?"
Achakzai has been a consistent voice for the opposition's position. He had earlier refused to join talks with the government without the PTI founder at the table: https://featurepakistan.com/achakzai-refuses-talks-without-imran/
From Sunday's KP order to the governor's rule Sindh warning
The warning lands at the end of a tense four days. On Sunday, the Centre imposed emergency and governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — a step federal ministers had been floating for weeks: https://featurepakistan.com/centre-seriously-considering-emergency-in-kp-minister-says/
The order took down the PTI-led provincial setup and put several of the party's leaders in custody. It also ended the party's long march, which had been demanding the release of Imran Khan. The PTI says the pressure campaign goes beyond its leadership — the party has reported that Imran Khan's sisters were on a hunger strike for two days: https://featurepakistan.com/cousin-says-imran-khans-sisters-on-hunger-strike-for-two-days/
On Wednesday, the National Assembly voted on the resolution backing the KP move — the same sitting at which Achakzai issued his Sindh warning. His argument, in essence, is that the precedent set in Peshawar will not stop in Peshawar: if the Centre can cite disengagement to take over one province, the same reasoning can be applied to Sindh's water, mines and streams.
Whether the warning proves right is unknowable for now. The story is still developing, with Dawn marking its own report "More to follow", and no official announcement about Sindh has been made. What is certain is that the KP precedent has put every province's relationship with the Centre under fresh scrutiny.
For people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the political fight is unfolding against a difficult economic backdrop. A recent survey in Peshawar found families borrowing to cope with rising prices: https://featurepakistan.com/peshawar-inflation-survey-families-debt/
Frequently asked questions
What did Achakzai warn about Sindh?
Speaking on the National Assembly floor on Wednesday, opposition leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai warned that governor's rule could next be imposed in Sindh over the "occupation of water, mines and streams", and urged the Centre to give provinces their rights and resources.
Why was governor's rule imposed in KP?
The federal government says the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government "deliberately disengaged" from the counterterrorism fight. The order was imposed on Sunday, Oct 11, and endorsed by a National Assembly resolution on Wednesday.
Has governor's rule been announced for Sindh?
No. Achakzai's remarks were a warning delivered during the House debate, not a confirmed government decision. The story is still developing.
What did Achakzai say about the 2024 elections?
He assailed the government for depriving the PTI of its election symbol before the 2024 general elections, noting its workers contested on 200 different symbols and still "turned your own game around on you".
