Imran Khan’s party decries ‘coup’ after Pakistan suspends provincial government

Suspension of provincial government escalates standoff with Khan’s PTI party a week after his supporters began marching to demand his release

Pakistan has declared a state of emergency in a province ⁠led by Imran ​Khan’s PTI party and suspended its government, a move a party spokesperson described as “more of a coup disguised as emergency”.

The state of emergency and imposition of a new governor in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa sharply escalates a standoff between ⁠Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and the government, and comes a week after PTI supporters gathered in the province intending to march on Islamabad to demand Khan’s release.

Khan’s aide and PTI spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari called the government’s move “more of a coup disguised as emergency,” adding that it risked inciting more bloodshed and instability and was intended to stop the protest.

Pakistan’s constitution ‌allows the government to take over from ‌provincial authorities during an emergency, and the law minister, Azam Nazeer Tarar, said a provincial governor would take charge in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which has suffered an increasing number ‌of militant attacks in recent months.

The federal government and the military accuse PTI of failing to curb militants. The party rejects the charge and says Islamabad has not provided the funding and equipment it needs.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman, leader of the JUI-F political party and engaged by the government to mediate with PTI, also condemned the move. “Imposition of emergency is an ambush on democracy,” he told a news conference in Islamabad.

Candidates backed by Khan’s party won the most seats ⁠in the 2024 election but formed a government only in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Supporters of the 74-year-old former cricket star say ​the military rigged the vote against him, which the ​military denies.

President Zardari ​declared the emergency on the advice of ​the prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, after a cabinet decision, the president’s office said.

Islamabad also accuses Afghanistan of harboring militants who launch attacks inside Pakistan, and says PTI has sympathised with the Taliban in Kabul and its domestic affiliates. Both deny the charge.