PTI vows to continue march amid talk of possible emergency in KP

Pakistan’s opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) plans to continue its march towards Islamabad while preparing for a possible imposition of governor’s rule or a state of emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, party leaders said.

The party is also weighing another round of talks with the federal government.

What is the PTI march and where is it heading?

The PTI march is a procession towards Islamabad led by Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. It has entered its seventh day, moving from Charsadda to Mardan, where participants were due to spend the night before travelling to Swabi. PTI has called supporters from across Pakistan to gather in Swabi on October 11.

Arrangements were under way to establish a tent city there, provincial minister Shafi Jan said. Jan said Afridi is scheduled to announce the movement’s next course of action on October 13, with the march expected to resume its journey from Swabi on October 14.

What did PTI leaders decide at the Chief Minister’s House meeting?

Senior PTI leaders met at the Chief Minister’s House to discuss the political situation and the march. Those attending included Afridi, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, provincial president Junaid Akbar, Shahid Khattak and Shafi Jan.

Barrister Gohar told Nukta that the meeting had declared any move to impose governor’s rule or a state of emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa illegal and unconstitutional under the current circumstances. He said the march would continue as planned, while the party remained open to another round of negotiations with the federal government.

Sources familiar with the meeting said participants had agreed to make another attempt at dialogue, although some questioned the government’s seriousness about negotiations. They added that the meeting also discussed how the party would respond if the federal government imposed governor’s rule or declared an emergency in the province.

How is PTI responding to the threat of governor’s rule?

Khattak said Afridi had been nominated as chief minister by jailed former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan, and that only Khan could remove him. He said the party had prepared to respond to any attempt to impose governor’s rule or emergency measures in the province.

Akbar said PTI was not driven by the pursuit of power and did not regard holding office as its ultimate objective. The party was prepared to face governor’s rule or an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he said, warning that those imposing such measures could struggle to withstand the consequences.

The political uncertainty has fuelled speculation that the federal government could impose emergency measures in some districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and bring them under federal control. That could happen if negotiations fail and the march continues towards Islamabad. The government’s position on the possibility of such measures was not included in the information provided.