Pakistan declares state of emergency, suspends provincial government of Imran Khan's party
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Pakistan's president declared a state of emergency on October 11 and ordered the suspension of the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which is run by Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI. Khan, a former prime minister, remains in detention. The move immediately stripped the elected provincial administration of its governing powers. Pakistan's presidential office said President Asif Ali Zardari signed off on the recommendation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif after the federal cabinet approved the measure, citing the provincial government's failure to crack down on the threat from militant Islamist extremists. Zulfikar Bukhari, a close aide to Khan and a PTI spokesman, responded that the decision was utterly absurd and stressed that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was the only legitimately elected government in the country, warning that the decision would lead to bloodshed and instability. Meanwhile, PTI supporters have held prolonged protests for several days to press for Khan's release and have threatened to march on Islamabad in the coming days. Pakistan's constitution allows the federal government to take over some or all of a provincial government's functions during a state of emergency, but the presidential office has not yet specified how the province will be administered going forward.