Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari declares a state of emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, effectively suspending the province’s elected administration led by Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), his office says. The move gives the federal government sweeping administrative powers and strips the provincial government of its authority, with outlets citing constitutional provisions linked to security and governance.
The decision comes as PTI supporters stage protests and marches in the province, with some reporting thousands of demonstrators calling for Khan’s release and warning of further action toward Islamabad. Several outlets describe the emergency as a response to unrest in PTI’s stronghold, while others, including PTI itself, frame it as a “disguised coup” or illegitimate move. Reporting also notes that the broader confrontation involves Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s federal government and PTI, which has held Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
