Pakistan Imposes Emergency and Governor's Rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Suspending PTI Government

Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari approved a state of emergency and governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday, October 11, 2026. The move suspends the provincial government led by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan. It is the first time the federal government has taken direct control of the province under the current administration.

The emergency was imposed under Articles 232 and 234 of the constitution. The president acted on advice from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif after a cabinet meeting. Officials said the PTI government had failed to engage effectively against Islamist militancy in the province that borders Afghanistan. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said Governor Faisal Karim Kundi will take charge with an 11-member advisory council. The arrangement is initially for six months.

Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, provincial ministers and other officials vacate their offices under the proclamation. PTI lawmakers said Afridi and the provincial party president were arrested shortly after the announcement. Internet disruptions were reported in parts of Peshawar.

The decision follows weeks of protests by PTI supporters demanding Khan's release. A long march led by Afridi began in early October after talks with the federal government failed. Thousands gathered in the province. The federal government and military accuse the PTI administration of allowing militant attacks to continue. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and allied groups have carried out frequent assaults on security forces and civilians in the region.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the only province where PTI held power. Its suspension removes the party's last remaining government. PTI spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari called the move a coup disguised as emergency and warned it would bring further instability. Governor Kundi said anyone taking the law into their own hands would be dealt with firmly.

Militant violence in the province has remained high. Independent tallies recorded hundreds of deaths of civilians and security personnel in the first nine months of 2026. The federal government said negotiations with the provincial leadership had failed and that the intensity of attacks posed a serious threat to public safety.

The army is expected to deploy additional forces to assist in administration and protect government installations. The interior ministry said troops would be sent to the province. The emergency allows the federal government to assume key executive and legislative powers during a security crisis or breakdown of constitutional order.

Khan has been in jail since 2023 on multiple charges. His party has maintained strong support in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The long march and the emergency mark the latest escalation in the confrontation between PTI and the military-backed federal government. How long the governor's rule lasts, and whether it reduces militant attacks or deepens political division, will shape the province's next months.