ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Sunday imposed an emergency and governor’s rule in KP, after President Asif Ali Zardari approved the recommendations of the federal cabinet.
The President House said the measures were approved under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution, which cover a provincial emergency and governor’s rule.
The decision came hours after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a cabinet meeting in Islamabad, where, as Feature Pakistan reported earlier, the cabinet was called to decide the province’s fate amid a deepening rift with the PTI-led provincial government.
Cabinet cites security and provincial disengagement
Cabinet members were briefed on the province’s security situation, the Prime Minister’s Office said. They noted what the statement called the provincial government’s deliberate disengagement from the fight against terrorism, and proposed that the prime minister advise the president to act. On that advice, the president approved the emergency under Articles 232 and 234.
The move follows days of planning between the ruling parties. A day earlier, PML-N and PPP leaders had finalised their plan for federal control, after Shehbaz Sharif met President Zardari at Aiwan-e-Sadr on Saturday night.
Addressing the cabinet, the prime minister said the PTI could not be allowed to derail a stabilising economy. “I will not allow them to destabilise the economy,” he said.
He also spoke about the human cost of terrorism in KP and Balochistan. Citizens, police officials, soldiers, children and mothers were being martyred, he said. Pakistan, he added, had repeatedly urged Afghanistan to rein in terrorist elements operating from its soil.
What governor’s rule in KP means
Under Article 232, the president can proclaim an emergency if he is satisfied that a grave emergency threatens the security of Pakistan or any part of it. The threat can come from war, external aggression, or internal disturbance beyond a provincial government’s control.
If the president acts on his own, the proclamation must be placed before both houses of parliament within 10 days for approval. During an emergency, parliament can also legislate for a province on subjects outside the Federal Legislative List.
Article 233 allows some fundamental rights to be suspended during an emergency. Article 234, in turn, covers governor’s rule where constitutional machinery has failed, normally on a report from the provincial governor.
In practice, the province’s administration now answers to the federation through the governor. The elected provincial government loses control of day-to-day governance, although the assembly’s future will become clear once the proclamations are laid before parliament.
A new chief secretary for the province
Soon after the approval, the federal government appointed Dr Muhammad Fakhr Alam Irfan as chief secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. An official notification said the appointment takes effect immediately and will remain in place until further orders.
Dr Irfan, a Grade 22 Pakistan Administrative Service officer from Mardan, was serving as secretary of the Power Division in the federal Ministry of Energy.
The appointment signals that administrative control will sit with Islamabad while the security situation is reviewed.
The road from standoff to federal rule
Sunday’s decision caps weeks of confrontation between the Centre and the PTI government in Peshawar, whose long march kept pressure on Islamabad even as the party stayed open to talks as the march pressed towards Swabi.
Chief Minister Sohail Afridi had warned a day earlier that he would not accept any illegal move to impose governor’s rule or an emergency. The PTI is now expected to challenge the proclamations in parliament and possibly in court.
The prime minister also condemned the recent Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia and restated Pakistan’s solidarity with the kingdom. On the economy, he hoped the $1.2 billion IMF tranche would be released within this year, after the staff-level agreement that recently failed to lift the stock market.
Both houses of parliament are due to meet on October 13, and the proclamations must be placed before them within 10 days. That session will be the first real test of the decision. Dawn’s original report carries the President House statement in full.
FAQ
Under which articles was the KP emergency imposed?
The President House said the measures were approved under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution, covering a provincial emergency and governor’s rule.
Who will run Khyber Pakhtunkhwa now?
The province will be administered through the governor under federal direction. Dr Muhammad Fakhr Alam Irfan has been appointed chief secretary with immediate effect.
What happens next in parliament?
The emergency proclamation must be placed before both houses of parliament within 10 days for approval. Both houses are due to meet on October 13.
How has the PTI reacted?
PTI leaders rejected the idea before Sunday’s decision. Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said he would not accept an illegal imposition of governor’s rule or emergency.
