Pakistan Imposes Federal Rule On Khyber Pakhtunkhwa And Removes Provincial Government
The emergency declaration removes the final regional administration led by imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan’s party and transfers provincial power to the national government.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari declared a state of emergency and placed the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under federal control on Sunday, October 11, 2026. The executive action dissolved the provincial administration led by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party and suspended its governing authority.
Zardari approved the decree under Articles 232 and 234 of the constitution. The decision followed an emergency cabinet meeting led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Executive authority in the province shifted to Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, who represents the federal administration.
Under the constitutional order, the federal Parliament of Pakistan assumed the legislative powers of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Assembly. Authorities placed shipping-container barricades across critical transit routes and deployed additional police and security forces. Law enforcement officials also detained several PTI supporters.
A statement from Sharif's office accused the provincial administration of disengaging from counterterrorism efforts as security conditions deteriorated. Sharif informed his cabinet that provincial leaders would not be permitted to harm national economic stabilization efforts.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said federal officials had no choice after reviewing regional security and politics. Governor Kundi said the administration had to establish peace. He warned that authorities would use an iron hand against anyone breaking the law.
PTI leaders criticized the federal takeover. Party spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari described the decree as a disguised coup against an elected government that would cause instability and bloodshed. PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan called the move a major political mistake that violated democratic principles and said the public would reject it.
Before the declaration, Chief Minister Sohail Afridi called federal intervention unacceptable. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was the only province governed by Khan's party after the 2024 elections. Khan has been imprisoned since 2023 on treason and corruption charges that his party describes as politically motivated.
The federal intervention occurred as PTI supporters organized a march toward Islamabad to demand Khan's release and constitutional supremacy. Federal officials had urged party leaders to cancel the demonstration, citing an increase in attacks by the Pakistani Taliban in the region.
Kundi will direct provincial operations under orders from the federal government while national lawmakers exercise provincial legislative authority. Following the emergency declaration, provincial officials and party figures reported that authorities took Afridi and provincial party president Junaid Akbar into custody.
