Islamabad: The federal cabinet is meeting today to decide on the possible imposition of an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as the standoff between the centre and the PTI-led provincial government deepens.
According to reports, the cabinet’s special session began in the morning, with federal ministers directed to remain in Islamabad. The meeting follows Friday’s high-level huddle at the Presidency, where the president and prime minister, along with senior ministers and PPP leaders, reviewed the province’s political and security situation. Separate sessions of the National Assembly and the Senate have been summoned for October 13.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also reached out to JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who counselled the government against an emergency or governor’s rule, warning it could politically damage the ruling coalition, and offered to mediate. The prime minister is said to have responded that dialogue and a march on Islamabad cannot go together.
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said consultations were still under way and that an emergency was “not a preferred option”, though he added the situation was drifting towards a last resort if no alternative remained.
The PTI has reacted sharply. Its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa information secretary warned the move would be the government’s “biggest blunder” and urged the centre to back mediation efforts instead, while the party presses on with its march towards Islamabad. Senior party leader Barrister Gohar claimed governor’s rule was already effectively in force in the province and that only the announcement was pending. The JUI-F also cautioned the government against the move.
PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, meanwhile, urged the PTI to abandon what he called “extremist” politics. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi is reported to have remarked that barely any room was left to avoid the measure.
There was no official confirmation of a final decision at the time of reporting.
