ISLAMABAD: The federal government has decided to impose an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf presses ahead with its long march towards the capital, well-placed sources said on Saturday.
The decision was taken during a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari at Aiwan-e-Sadr. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and Adviser Rana Sanaullah attended, alongside PPP leaders Sherry Rehman, Naveed Qamar, Saleem Mandviwalla and Dr Asim Hussain.
Sources said a federal cabinet meeting has been called for 9:30am on Sunday to approve the move, while separate sessions of the National Assembly and the Senate will be summoned on October 13.
Under the proposal, the emergency would first be enforced in twelve sensitive districts, including the former tribal areas, before being extended across the province. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, however, said the measure would apply to the whole province from the outset, insisting it was aimed at eliminating terrorism rather than countering the PTI’s march.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told reporters there was “no room left” to avoid the step, pointing to the worsening law and order situation.
Meanwhile, the prime minister telephoned JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who once again advised resolving the crisis through dialogue with the PTI instead of an emergency or governor’s rule.
The development follows Saturday’s high-level deliberations on the province’s security situation. Earlier, the federal cabinet had met to weigh the emergency option — read our earlier report: https://okarapressclubokara.com/federal-cabinet-meets-kp-emergency-decision/
Section 144 has also been imposed across Rawalpindi for one month as the authorities brace for the PTI march.
