Pakistan Reviews KPK Security Amid PTI March, Emergency Described as ‘Last Option

Pakistan’s federal government is considering imposing an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) amid an ongoing protest march by supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, even as provincial Chief Minister Sohail Afridi vowed to continue peaceful demonstrations over the party’s demands.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reviewed the country’s political and security situation at a meeting at the President’s House on Saturday. An official statement said separate sessions of the National Assembly and Senate would be convened on October 13. Geo News reported that the meeting decided to impose an emergency in KPK over alleged lawlessness and political unrest linked to the march. The federal cabinet was expected to consider the proposal on Sunday before it was placed before Parliament on Monday.

However, Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry told the channel that all options were being explored to defuse tensions, describing an emergency as a “last option”. No formal declaration of emergency was confirmed in the report.

The march, led by Afridi, began in Lakki Marwat on October 4 and has passed through several districts. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is demanding a meeting with Khan, access to his personal doctors, the release of arrested supporters and his sisters, and proper medical treatment for his wife, Bushra Bibi.

Addressing the media in Peshawar on the seventh day of the march, Afridi said the authorities had failed to establish that the party’s demands were unconstitutional or illegal. He alleged that the abduction of PTI parliamentarians and road closures violated constitutional rights.

Rejecting military operations as a solution to the province’s problems, Afridi said the party would continue its struggle within the framework of the Constitution and law. He said participants would head towards Swabi on October 11, with the party announcing its next course of action on October 13.

The latest standoff follows the breakdown of two rounds of talks between the PTI and the federal government. While Prime Minister Sharif urged the party to call off the march, the government has warned protesters against entering Islamabad, where security has been tightened and roads blocked with shipping containers.