Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday announced that the northwestern Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been put under emergency rule, effectively removing power from former Prime Minster Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.

The imposition of emergency rule comes as thousands of Khan supporters continue to stage anti-government protests and demand the former leader be released from jail.

Current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif proposed the move, which Zardari signed into order on Sunday.

The suspension of regional government was justified under constitutional articles that allow the central government to confront security threats and give it sweeping powers in emergency situations.

Sharif’s government claims regional authorities have not done enough to curb Islamist violence in the province.

Last Sunday, thousands of Khan’s supporters began to make their way from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.

Organisers had declared their intent to rally hundreds of thousands more along the way in hopes of bringing about Khan’s release from prison.

Despite being jailed since 2023, Khan, a popular former cricket star, maintains great influence in Pakistan, with he and his followers convinced that his imprisonment is the result of political persecution.

Khan, who began his term as prime minister in August 2018, was ousted from office in April 2022 after losing a no-confidence vote. 

He has been in prison since August 2023. 

Beyond corruption and treason charges, he was also accused of inciting violence after widespread anti-government protests in May 2023. Khan rejects the charges as a politically motivated plot to keep him away from power. He remains a popular political figure in Pakistan. 

Khan’s supporters claim that the 2024 election that brought Shehbaz Sharif back to power was rigged – an accusation the government denies.

Pakistan has seen a resurgence of terror attacks over the past several months and the Sharif government accuses Khan’s PTI of sympathising with the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, which is largely thought to be behind the attacks. 

The PTI rejects these accusations as a baseless smear campaign.

DW