A member of parliament from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, led by imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan, said that the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Sohail Afridi, was arrested on Sunday, along with the party’s provincial chairman.
The arrests followed Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari’s declaration of a state of emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the northwestern province governed by Imran Khan’s PTI. The move effectively suspends the local government and transfers more powers to the federal authorities, amid escalating political tensions in the country.
This comes against the backdrop of a growing confrontation between the Pakistani federal government and the PTI, led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has been imprisoned since 2013. His party continues to govern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which borders Afghanistan.
The dispute escalated following a protest campaign launched by the party demanding Khan’s release, including a march toward the capital, Islamabad, after negotiations with the federal government stalled.
The government justifies its decision to impose a state of emergency by citing the deteriorating security situation and the escalating attacks by the Pakistani Taliban, accusing the provincial government of failing to cooperate with counterterrorism efforts. The provincial leadership, however, rejected the move, deeming it illegal and warning of its political and security repercussions.
The Pakistani constitution allows federal authorities to assume some or all of the provincial government’s powers under emergency measures. The decision threatens to widen the rift between the two sides, coinciding with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party’s preparations to escalate its protests demanding Khan’s release. (AFP + EIR)
