The Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs,Rana Sanaullah, has said the federal government could consider imposing governor rule or an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) if the provincial government fails to cooperate with Islamabad over security and political unrest.
His comments come amid growing tensions between the federal government and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led provincial government over the party’s planned long march towards Islamabad.
Mr Sanaullah said the country’s political and military leadership had agreed that protests and long marches should no longer be allowed to converge on the federal capital. He suggested that political parties could instead hold demonstrations in cities including Peshawar, Mardan, Lahore or Karachi.
The PTI has announced a 4 October protest march, with the release of its founder, Imran Khan, among its demands. The proposed march has become a major point of dispute between the federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments.
Mr Sanaullah said that if a provincial government did not cooperate with the federal authorities over a serious security situation, constitutional options including governor’s rule or an emergency could be considered.
He has previously described governor’s rule in KP as being “on the table” and said discussions were taking place with coalition partners.
Other government officials have made similar statements. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said the federal government was “seriously considering” an emergency in the province.
However, the government has not announced that governor’s rule or an emergency will be imposed. Reports on 1 October said the federal government had decided, for the time being, against taking immediate action while political efforts continued.
The statements came as government and opposition representatives began talks aimed at easing tensions over the planned protest.
The first round of discussions in the National Assembly speaker’s chamber ended without a final agreement on 2 October. Both sides agreed to resume talks the following day.
Mr Sanaullah has also said that informal, or “off-the-record”, discussions with senior PTI figures were continuing.
The PTI, meanwhile, has maintained its right to hold peaceful protests and has rejected the government’s characterisation of its planned march.
The immediate focus is on whether the government and opposition can reach an agreement before the planned 4 October mobilisation.
Constitutional experts have noted that emergency powers and governor’s rule are subject to specific constitutional conditions. Articles 232 and 234 set out circumstances in which the federal government can intervene in a province, rather than allowing such measures to be triggered solely by political disagreement or an ordinary protest.
For now, governor’s rule remains a publicly discussed option rather than an announced decision, while negotiations between the government and opposition continue.
