By Mashal Khan 

PESHAWAR, Pakistan -  Protests erupted in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday following the federal government’s decision to impose emergency rule and governor’s rule, intensifying a confrontation with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the party of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan.

The PTI has condemned the move as an attack on the province’s democratic mandate and autonomy. The party also reported the arrests of Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and provincial president Junaid Akbar Khan. Reports of the detentions emerged after President Asif Ali Zardari approved the federal cabinet’s recommendations to impose emergency measures under Articles 232 and 234 of Pakistan’s Constitution.

The party’s provincial leadership and supporters have denounced the decision, while anger has grown among PTI supporters who regard the action as an attempt to sideline a party that commands a strong electoral mandate in the province.

The reported arrests of elected provincial leaders have further inflamed tensions. PTI supporters and critics of the federal decision have described the move as not only an attack on democratic representation but also an insult to the millions of Pashtuns who live in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The government’s decision followed days of political confrontation as Afridi led a PTI protest march through the province toward Islamabad, demanding Khan’s release. The march had become a major source of tension between the federal government and the PTI-led provincial administration.

- PTI condemns emergency and reported arrests

The PTI has demanded that the federal government reverse its decision, describing emergency and governor’s rule as an assault on provincial autonomy and the party’s electoral mandate.

Party chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan warned that the move could deepen political instability. The party has also condemned the reported detention of Afridi and Akbar, although initial media reports said the federal government had not issued an official confirmation or denial of the arrests.

The PTI has claimed that Afridi and Akbar were taken into custody following the announcement of emergency rule. Reports also identified provincial assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati among the leaders reportedly detained, but his detention could not be independently confirmed from the reports available at the time of writing.

The arrests, if confirmed, would represent a major escalation in the confrontation between the federal authorities and the elected provincial leadership.

The party has maintained that the federal government should resolve political disputes through constitutional and democratic processes rather than removing provincial authority. Its leaders have warned that the decision could trigger further protests and intensify opposition to the federal administration.

- Imran Khan remains central to the confrontation

The crisis has deepened around the political influence of Imran Khan, who remains in prison and whose party continues to enjoy substantial support in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The PTI won a strong mandate in the province in the 2024 general elections and holds a two-thirds majority in the provincial assembly, according to the party’s political position. The province has remained one of Khan’s strongest political bases despite the crackdown on his party and the detention of several of its leaders.

Afridi’s protest march was organised to demand Khan’s release. Before the emergency was imposed, the chief minister had publicly vowed that the PTI would resist what he described as illegal attempts to impose governor’s rule or emergency measures.

Addressing supporters during the march, Afridi said he would not retreat under pressure and was prepared to sacrifice his position for Khan and the people of the province, according to local media reports.

The march had moved through several districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, drawing PTI supporters as it approached Swabi, a key point on the route toward Islamabad. The federal government’s decision to impose emergency rule has now added a new dimension to the protest movement.

For the PTI, the confrontation is about more than the future of its provincial government. It has framed the dispute as a struggle over Khan’s political future, the right of voters to choose their representatives and the constitutional status of provincial autonomy.

- Federal government cites security concerns

The federal government has defended its decision by citing the deteriorating security situation and what it described as the provincial government’s failure to cooperate adequately in counterterrorism efforts.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the federal cabinet reviewed the security situation before recommending emergency measures. The cabinet accused the provincial administration of “deliberate disengagement” from the fight against terrorism.

President Zardari subsequently approved the recommendations, and the federal government appointed Dr Muhammad Fakhr Alam Irfan as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s chief secretary.

Under Article 232 of the Constitution, the president may proclaim an emergency in circumstances involving a grave threat to security, including an internal disturbance beyond a provincial government’s ability to control. Article 234 provides for intervention when the constitutional machinery of a province is considered to have failed.

The use of these provisions has raised questions about the constitutional and political implications of bringing a province under federal control. The move is likely to face intense political opposition and could lead to legal challenges.

The federal government’s stated justification centres on security and counterterrorism, while the PTI argues that the measures undermine the mandate it received from voters.

- A widening political and constitutional crisis

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which borders Afghanistan, has faced persistent militant violence and security challenges. The province is also politically significant because of the PTI’s strong electoral presence and Khan’s continued popularity among sections of the population.

The emergency decision risks turning an already tense dispute into a wider confrontation between the federal government and PTI supporters. The reported detention of senior elected officials has heightened concerns about political stability and the possibility of further demonstrations.

For many PTI supporters, the removal of their elected provincial leadership would mean that the party’s electoral victory had been overridden by federal action. Some critics of the decision have also framed it as an affront to Pashtun political representation, although such views should not be taken as representative of all Pashtuns in the province.

The coming days are likely to be crucial as the PTI considers its response, including possible legal action and further protests. The federal government, meanwhile, faces the challenge of addressing its security concerns while managing the political consequences of imposing emergency and governor’s rule.

The dispute has placed constitutional authority, provincial autonomy and the political future of Imran Khan at the centre of Pakistan’s latest political crisis.