Imran Khan's party marches on as Pakistan weighs emergency rule
Backers of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan pushed their protest march toward Peshawar on Tuesday after talks with the government broke down. Officials say they may impose emergency rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the province Khan's party runs. In Islamabad, police have cut the ways into the government district to one or two.
A protest march by Imran Khan's party is rolling across northwest Pakistan, and the government is talking about taking over the province it runs.
The march by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, began Sunday in Lakki Marwat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. It reached Kohat district late Monday and was set to leave for Peshawar on Tuesday, Dawn reported. Marchers plan to gather at Khairabad, on the border with Punjab province, by Thursday, Oct. 8.
The march is led by the province's chief minister, Sohail Afridi. "We have to win this war of freedom for Imran Khan," he told supporters in Karak, Arab News reported. The party wants Khan freed. Its secretary-general, Salman Akram Raja, said party leaders, family and lawyers must be allowed to meet him.
Talks with the federal government broke down over the weekend. The main sticking point was fighting militants in the province, which borders Afghanistan. The government wants more provincial cooperation. PTI wants a say in security operations.
Now the government is weighing tough steps. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met the province's governor, Faisal Karim Kundi, on Sunday. They said the Governor's House would play its "full constitutional role" if leaders choose governor's rule or an emergency, Dawn reported. Such steps could give the federal government more control over the province. A government source told Dawn that "the imposition of emergency is imminent."
No decision has been announced, Arab News reported. PTI information secretary Shaikh Waqas Akram called the threats "political bluffing."
In Islamabad, police cut the number of ways into the Red Zone, which holds parliament, top government offices and embassies, to one or two. Shipping containers are staged near key routes. Truckers fear their containers will be seized as barricades, which has added to cargo backlogs at the port of Karachi, Arab News reported.
Some background: Khan was ousted as prime minister in a no-confidence vote in April 2022. He has been in prison since August 2023 on corruption and other charges that he says are political. A PTI protest in Islamabad in November 2024 ended in a crackdown. PTI says 12 supporters died. Officials denied that protesters were shot dead.
What we know: The march is heading toward Peshawar, and emergency rule is on the table.
What we don't: Whether marchers will try to enter Islamabad, and whether the government will act.
Where outlets agree Dawn and Arab News both report that the interior minister and the provincial governor said the Governor's House would play its full constitutional role if emergency or governor's rule is imposed.
Where they differ A government source told Dawn that emergency rule is imminent, while PTI calls the threat political bluffing with no legal footing.