Pakistan suspended its only provincial government ruled by the jailed opposition leader Imran Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf party, which may lead to increased tension in the South Asian country already struggling to bring political and economic stability.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s federal government ended the 13-year rule by Khan’s party in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province through a presidential decree on Sunday, citing “rising incidents of terrorism” and deteriorating security in the region bordering Afghanistan, according to a statement by President Asif Ali Zardari’s office.
Haleem Adil Sheikh, a senior leader of Khan’s party, termed the move unconstitutional and said that citing security situation was an excuse. The decree means the province will be ruled by the federal government and it comes days before a plan by Khan’s supporters to converge on capital, Islamabad, in a protest march demanding release of the former premier from prison.
Sharif’s hands are already tied with efforts to improve Pakistan’s economy, which came to the brink of default four years ago before it was rescued by the International Monetary Fund with a $7 billion loan. Since coming into power in 2024, the premier has taken multiple unpopular steps like increasing energy prices and selling off state-run companies to reduce losses and stabilize the economy.
The benchmark KSE-100 index fell 1.2% in Karachi on Monday on concerns of political uncertainty.
Recently, the government had said rising incidents of militancy was hurting its efforts to boost the economy and the provincial government led by Khan’s party was not cooperating with the federal authority.
The move to slap emergency rule in the province is not politically motivated, foreign minister Ishaq Dar said at an event in Islamabad on Monday.
Khan’s supporters are demanding the release of former premier, who has been jailed by courts in multiple cases of corruption and misuse of power,when he was the premier for four years until 2022. Khan has denied all charges.
Read: Pakistan Strikes Afghanistan, Accuses Kabul of Drone Attacks (1)
The march threatens to intensify political tensions in the country, where Khan’s imprisonment has fueled repeated standoffs between his party and the authorities. The government warned that a large protest in Islamabad could disrupt business and transport.
Authorities have placed shipping containers and other roadblocks around the capital to prevent demonstrators from entering.
Read: Imran Khan’s Party Revives Protest March After Talks Collapse
Concerns have heightened over Khan’s health and conditions in prison, where he is serving a 14-year sentence in a corruption case.
Khan’s family and lawyers have accused authorities of holding him in inhumane conditions, saying he spends 23 hours a day in a small cell without natural light or contact with other prisoners. Pakistani officials deny the allegations.