Paris Soir - Pakistan imposes emergency rule in Imran Khan's provincial stronghold

Thousands of Khan's supporters have been marching in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to demand his release and airing anti-government criticism fuelled by harsh economic conditions.

Shortly after the measures were announced, a lawmaker from Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, Junaid Akbar, said on X that the province's chief minister Sohail Afridi had been arrested along with the provincial president.

PTI chairman Gohar Ali Khan called the emergency declaration "an extremely alarming and grave political mistake and an undemocratic measure".

"The people will never accept such actions against their rights," he posted on X.

The declaration, invoked under two articles of Pakistan's constitution dealing with security, grants the federal government sweeping administrative powers over the province.

President Asif Ali Zardari signed the order after cabinet recommendations "regarding the law and order situation, and the failure of negotiations with government delegations", his office said.

An image issued by Zardari's office showed his signature affirming the measures.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's office said earlier the decision had been taken over the "deteriorating law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and... from the provincial government's deliberate indifference in the war against terrorism".

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is a stronghold for Khan's party, and the PTI-led government there will be sidelined under Sunday's extraordinary constitutional measures.

A government spokesperson did not immediately respond to request for comment on the PTI provincial leader detentions.

- 'Held hostage' -

Intense security was deployed in the provincial capital of Peshawar on Sunday, with large numbers of personnel seen around the chief minister's residence, an AFP reporter said, while mobile phone networks in the area appeared to be disrupted.

Public transport services were suspended and roads in other cities in the province also had been closed.

"All the roads are blocked. We have a democratic government here, with members of the provincial and national assemblies being held hostage," Abdur Rehman, 32, told AFP in Peshawar.

"If they impose an emergency, it would amount to stealing the mandate of our Pashtun people. This should not happen," he added, referring to the ethnicity of the majority of the population in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

PTI supporters began "long march" demonstrations, led by the province's chief minister, between towns and cities throughout Khyber Pakhtunkhwa a week ago, after talks with the government broke down.

- Show of force -

Khan, a hugely popular former cricket star, has been behind bars since August 2023, facing scores of charges ranging from corruption to inciting violence, following widespread anti-establishment riots in May that year.

He and his legal team reject the allegations, branding them as politically motivated cases aimed at neutralising his popularity.

The government had sought to avoid the opposition's show of force, but had also tied negotiations on PTI demands to agreement on security measures in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The protesters' demands included access to Khan by his doctors. Talks broke down on 4 October, prompting the start of the demonstrations.

In a separate security challenge, Pakistan has blamed an increase in attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the southern border province of Balochistan on militancy emanating from Afghanistan.

The Taliban government in Kabul denies such claims and criticises Pakistan for violating Afghanistan's sovereignty and killing civilians.

The accusations have sparked a bitter rift and armed conflict between the neighbouring countries.

Afghanistan and Pakistan went to war in February and there have been sporadic attacks since a truce was reached in March with no permanent security resolution agreed.

R.Poirier--PS