Summary The National Assembly and Senate have approved the imposition of an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while opposition parties opposed the move
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - A joint sitting of Parliament on Thursday approved a motion for the imposition of an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), with 214 lawmakers voting in favour and 56 against it.
The session was chaired by National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. During the proceedings, Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry presented the presidential proclamation concerning the imposition of an emergency under Article 232(7) of the Constitution.
Opposition lawmakers protested during the voting process, prompting the speaker to order a vote count.
The National Assembly and Senate had endorsed the imposition of an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa a day earlier. Opposition parties opposed the move and boycotted the proceedings.
Meanwhile, Ayaz Sadiq once again invited Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to hold talks in the National Assembly. Production orders were also issued for PTI lawmakers Sanaullah Mastikhel and Dawar Kundi.
The federal government announced emergency measures and governor’s rule in KP after a cabinet meeting, with President Asif Ali Zardari approving the move on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s advice.
Islamabad has cited a surge in militant attacks and concerns over the provincial administration’s handling of counterterrorism operations to justify its intervention. The government has invoked Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution, which deal with emergency powers and situations in which a provincial government is considered unable to function in accordance with constitutional requirements.
PTI leaders have disputed the federal government’s allegations, arguing that security concerns are being used to weaken the party’s political position in the province. The emergency was imposed as PTI prepared a long march from KP to Islamabad to demand the release of its jailed founder, Imran Khan.
PTI challenges emergency
PTI has approached the Peshawar High Court to challenge the emergency and governor’s rule, setting the stage for a legal contest over the federal government’s intervention.
The parliamentary approvals come amid a wider dispute over security policy and authority between Islamabad and the former PTI-led provincial administration. The federal government has also approved an Area Development Secretariat to oversee governance, security and development in several southern and former tribal districts of KP, including Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Kurram and North Waziristan.
