The political battle between jailed former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has intensified. The Sharif government has suspended the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government run by Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and imposed governor’s rule in the province. A state where PTI held strong influence has thus come under the direct control of the central government. The move comes amid growing political challenges for a government that already faces criticism of being run with the army’s backing, and PTI has lost power in a province of nearly 40 million people.
Since the first week of October, thousands of people have taken to the streets in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa demanding Khan’s release from jail. They are also protesting the Pakistani army’s operations against militants in Afghan border areas. The government maintains that law and order in the province has completely broken down and that the state government failed to curb terrorism, noting that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants, ideologically close to the Afghan Taliban, have killed thousands of security personnel and civilians in recent years. Prime Minister Sharif’s office said the cabinet reviewed the deteriorating security situation and allegations of negligence by the state government, and asked the Prime Minister to recommend emergency rule to the President.
Some figures, however, differ from the government’s claim of a sharply worsening security situation. Citing data gathered by the Islamabad-based Centre for Research and Security Studies, the Financial Times reported that deaths of civilians and security personnel in terror attacks and other incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa stood at 485 in the first nine months of 2026, 16 percent lower than the same period in 2025. The group’s figures show that such deaths rose 9 percent across Pakistan as a whole.
On the Prime Minister’s recommendation, President Asif Ali Zardari approved emergency rule in the province. The President’s office said talks between the government and PTI leaders had failed. Under governor’s rule, a governor appointed by the central government will take over administrative responsibilities, with the powers of the state government passing to the governor.
Pakistan’s Interior Ministry said military personnel would be deployed to assist in running the province and to protect government offices and public property. Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry told the Financial Times that the move should be viewed as a routine measure to ensure state officials properly discharge their duties in the fight against terrorism.