Zardari Places Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Under Emergency Rule

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari signed an emergency order on October 11 placing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under the authority of its governor and suspending the PTI-led provincial administration. The federal government said the intervention responded to worsening security and alleged provincial failures to address militancy, while Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) condemned it as an attack on the province’s elected mandate. The President’s Office said the order was issued under Articles 232 and 234 of Pakistan’s Constitution, which provide for emergency powers and governor’s rule. The arrangement puts provincial administration under Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, assisted by an 11-member advisory council, according to officials. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said the arrangement would initially last six months. An official notification also named Muhammad Fakhr Alam Irfan as chief secretary, effective immediately until further orders. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office said the cabinet recommended the emergency after reviewing security conditions and accused the provincial government of deliberately disengaging from counterterrorism efforts.