KP faces showdown over PTI march, possible federal intervention

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is facing a political showdown as the federal government considers emergency measures amid tensions with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led provincial government and the party’s planned Oct. 4 long march, according to Kamran Khan’s latest On My Radar program.

Kamran Khan said the federal government had decided to impose governor’s rule in the province under Article 234 of the Constitution, but that the door had not been completely closed for the PTI government. He said Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and the PTI leadership could preserve the provincial government if they unconditionally withdrew the Oct. 4 long march, abandoned proposed changes to the police system and aligned their policy on law and order with the federal government and state institutions.

He described the situation as a choice between the long march and the continuation of the PTI provincial government, saying the next 24 to 48 hours would be crucial.

The latest development came after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met President Asif Ali Zardari at Bilawal House in Karachi. Naqvi was the first federal minister to warn of governor’s rule over the PTI’s planned march and had said the matter should be resolved “Once For All.”

The federal government’s concerns extend beyond the planned march. According to Kamran Khan, officials are increasingly worried about the deteriorating security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where terrorism has intensified, as well as the growing political confrontation between the provincial government and the federal authorities.

He said federal circles were also concerned about increasing tensions with security institutions, including the armed forces, and statements that officials believe could undermine the role of state institutions and security forces amid the serious security situation.

Last year, Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry also sharply criticized the provincial government over rising terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The federal government says the provincial administration must provide the required political and administrative support to law enforcement agencies and security forces in the fight against terrorism. The PTI, however, says the province is not being provided with the resources and weapons it needs.

The proposed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police Act 2026 has added another point of dispute. The provincial cabinet approved a revised draft on Sept. 23, and the legislation is expected to go before the provincial assembly.

The proposed law would give the chief minister a greater role in the appointment and transfer of police officers in Grade 18 and above. It also proposes greater provincial control over the police command structure and allows action to be initiated for the premature transfer of the provincial police chief over unsatisfactory performance.

Naqvi has already objected to parts of the proposed legislation. The federal government argues that changes to the police command and control structure could further complicate the security situation, while there has also been discussion of challenging amendments to the police law in the Supreme Court. Naqvi separately criticized a provision requiring the provincial assembly speaker’s permission before an elected lawmaker could be arrested or detained.

The immediate test is now the Oct. 4 long march. PTI postponed its planned Sept. 27 march and announced the new date after a meeting of its political committee. Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said the march would start from Peshawar on Oct. 4.

PTI’s main demands include the transfer of party founder and jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan to Shifa International Hospital in accordance with a Supreme Court order and the resolution of his cases according to law and justice. The party is also seeking the release of Imran Khan’s three sisters and all other political prisoners, as well as judicial inquiries into the May 9 and Nov. 26 incidents.

However, opposition to the march has also emerged within PTI. Former Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, KP PTI information secretary Shaukat Yousafzai and other leaders have advised party chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan to postpone the Oct. 4 march again.

Yousafzai said the federal government wanted to impose an emergency in the province by using several issues as a pretext and argued that, in the current circumstances, postponing the march would be in the broader national interest.

Federal Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry has publicly said there was no decision to impose governor’s rule and that the option of an emergency was under consideration. He said a final decision had not been made and that, under an emergency, the provincial assembly would remain intact while the federal government would determine the province’s chief executive.

The conflicting positions leave the PTI’s Oct. 4 march and the federal government’s response at the center of a rapidly developing political and security dispute in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.