Pakistan’s political battle with jailed former prime minister Imran Khan has taken a sharp turn, with the Shehbaz Sharif government suspending his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led administration in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and imposing governor’s rule in the province.The move brings one of Imran Khan’s strongest political strongholds under direct control of the Shehbaz Sharif-led government, further deepening the confrontation between the military-backed government and PTI.Amid growing insecurities within the Shehbaz Sharif-Asim Munir duo, Imran Khan’s party has lost control of a province with around 40 million people, turning the region into the latest flashpoint in Pakistan’s political unrest.Thousands of people have taken to the streets in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since early October, demanding Imran Khan’s release and protesting the military’s counter-insurgency operations along the border with Afghanistan.The Pakistan government has defended the move, citing the worsening law and order situation and accusing the provincial administration of failing to act against terrorism. Militants linked to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an ideological ally of the Afghan Taliban, have killed thousands of security personnel and civilians in recent years.“The Cabinet took a detailed review of the deteriorating law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the circumstances arising from the provincial government’s deliberate indifference in the war against terrorism,” the office of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a statement.However, figures compiled by the Islamabad-based Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) paint a different picture of the security situation in the province, as Financial Times reported.Civilian and security personnel deaths in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa stood at 485 in the first nine months of 2026, down 16% from the same period in 2025. Across Pakistan, such deaths rose by 9%, according to the think-tank.Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari approved the emergency on the prime minister’s advice. His office cited a “failure of negotiations” between the Pakistan government and PTI leaders in the province.Under governor’s rule, the governor, who is appointed by the Pakistan government, takes over the province’s administration. Pakistan’s interior ministry said the army would deploy personnel to help run the province and protect public property and government installations.Talal Chaudhry, junior interior minister, told the Financial Times that the move was a “routine measure” intended to help provincial authorities carry out their responsibilities, particularly in the fight against terrorism.
PTI leaders arrested after emergency announcement
The political confrontation intensified soon after the announcement, with reports emerging that senior PTI leaders had been arrested.An account on X associated with Junaid Akbar, a member of parliament and president of PTI’s provincial chapter, said he and provincial chief minister Sohail Afridi had been taken into custody.Afridi, 37, had been leading a long march across the province in support of Khan and against military operations that PTI claims have caused civilian deaths and damage. He is the youngest-ever chief minister of Pakistan and comes from the tribal belt bordering Afghanistan.Just hours before his government was suspended, Afridi had vowed to continue the march until the protesters’ demands were met.“There is no option other than accepting our demands,” Afridi said in a post on X.“We will not back down,” he said. “Our long march will continue until the demands are met, in accordance with the law. Here, only Imran Khan’s policy will prevail.”Pakistan’s interior ministry and armed forces did not respond to requests for comment, the Financial Times reported.
Imran Khan’s stronghold at the centre of political battle
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been a key political base for Imran Khan’s PTI, which has governed the province since 2013. The party won more than 60% of the seats in the provincial assembly in the 2024 elections, two years after Khan was removed as prime minister through a parliamentary no-confidence vote.The former World Cup-winning cricket captain continues to be widely regarded as Pakistan’s most popular politician. Candidates backed by him won the largest number of seats in the national assembly in 2024.However, they were kept out of power as the military and the country’s two dominant dynastic political parties shaped the post-election arrangement, according to the Financial Times.The FT also cited analysts as saying PTI would comfortably win a competitive general election.PTI has accused the Shehbaz Sharif government of using security concerns as a pretext to remove its elected administration in the province.“The arrest of chief minister Sohail Afridi and Junaid Akbar has exposed the political nature of the government’s actions,” PTI spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram said in a statement.“These measures are not directed at addressing security challenges; they are intended to weaken PTI, undermine the elected government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and disregard the democratic will of its people.”
