Pakistan has declared a state of emergency in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and suspended its provincial government, led by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party, citing rising militant violence ahead of a planned protest march on the capital.

President Asif Ali Zardari announced the measures on Sunday after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Cabinet recommended emergency rule, accusing the provincial government of disengaging from counterterrorism efforts.

The decision places the province under the authority of Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, a representative of the federal government, and suspends the provincial assembly and cabinet, according to political analyst Azeem Chaudhry.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said poor coordination and delays between federal and provincial authorities had allowed militants to gain ground. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said militant violence in the province had risen by 196% in recent years.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar announced an 11-member advisory council to oversee provincial affairs and accused the government of Chief Minister Sohail Afridi of forming an “unholy alliance” with militants.

Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party rejected the move. Spokesperson Zulfiquar Bukhari called it a “disguised coup” and said the provincial government had a legitimate mandate from the February 2024 elections, which the party alleges were rigged.

“Now that little bit of democracy is also gone,” Bukhari said.

Khan has been in prison since 2023 on corruption and other charges that he and his party say are politically motivated. He remains a powerful opposition figure despite his imprisonment.

The emergency declaration comes as PTI prepares to march on Islamabad to demand Khan’s release. Afridi urged supporters on Saturday to prepare for the demonstration after leading protests through several districts in the province.

Talks between PTI and the federal government last week failed to secure an agreement to postpone the march. PTI has also demanded that Khan be transferred to a hospital and allowed to receive visits from family members. The government says he is in good health and receives regular family visits.

Police detained several PTI supporters overnight, while authorities deployed additional security personnel and placed shipping containers along major routes in Islamabad to prevent potential rallies, disrupting traffic in the capital and neighbouring Rawalpindi.

The federal government has urged Afridi to postpone the march, citing increased attacks by the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Pakistan has faced a resurgence of militant violence in recent years, particularly in its northwestern and southwestern regions. Islamabad accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities of allowing TTP militants to operate from Afghan territory, a charge Kabul denies.

The emergency measures deepen a political confrontation between Sharif’s government and Khan’s party, which says the move undermines democratic representation in the only province it governs. (ILKHA)